Digimon Heroes
by Kamakaze Kheri
Summary: Six to save or six to fall, Olympus rises above it all. When the Olympus Twelve take their reign of power to new heights, a group of Tamers will take of the journey to end the corruption. DISCONTINUED. See my profile for more info.
1. I The Beginning

**So, I started this story for serebiiforums and I figured I might as well upload it here as well. You know, just for general interest. There is a general list of disclaimers for this story that can be viewed from my profile as it covers everything that I don't have time to write here besides anything that has to do with titles. You're meant to enjoy the story rather than question the motives, but if you're happy reading about how I don't own anything, visit my profile like mentioned above. Thanks.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. End of story.**

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If there was one thing Seger Davis was sure of, it was the fact that he was the sort of person that didn't typically stand out in a crowd. That was most certainly the job of his best friend, Judi.

Or former best friend, now that he thought about it as he walked to school in the pouring rain that was commonly found throughout Vancouver. It was hard to find a day when it _didn't_ rain down on the BC coast, but Seger didn't complain. At least he didn't live in a place where winter didn't occur.

His thoughts strayed back to Judi and he sighed. Judi Gretzinger had been Seger's best friend for as long as he could remember. They had grown up in the same apartment complex right next door to each other and their father's worked in the same law firm. How could they not be friends? Of course they fought, the fact that they were now teenagers of opposite genders made their small scraps almost daily now, but the fights never lasted long. In fact, the passing week had been the longest time Seger and Judi had gone since they hadn't talked to each other in a very long time.

It had started simply enough. Seger had insisted to Judi that she went up to Whistler Blackcomb with him that weekend to watch him in a ski race. Judi, on the other hand, wanted Seger to go with her to her skating competition. It was the next big one before regional's and she was hoping to place well in it. Of course, they couldn't both attend each others events and they ended their fight on a bit of a sour note.

But that was just the beginning of the whole ordeal. This girl that had had her eye on Seger for the past six months asked him if he was going to Whistler Blackcomb that weekend (knowing fully well that he had a ski race). Being very naive and slightly clueless with girls, he had responded with a yes. The girl (Sarah Johansson), wanted to know if he wanted to ski with her but he politely declined and informed her he was racing. She insisted that she would watch.

It wasn't long before the word reached Judi's ears and her and Seger got into another fight.

"Oh, so you wouldn't mind having that _girl_ watching you ski? You know you get choked up sometimes in front of others," she snarled at him later that day as they stood bickering on the terrace outside their apartments.

"Since when do you care so much about my love life?" Seger retorted, feeling his anger rising. "You don't see me getting all worked up over the fact that you might consider inviting someone to watch you skate!"

Of course, that was exactly what Judi did. She casually found a boy (the good-looking Liam Carlson to boot) and asked him of his plans for the weekend. Liam noted that he was totally free and Judi commented with the fact that she had a skating competition.

"Mind if I come cheer you on?" Liam had asked and Judi had told him she didn't mind at all.

When Seger found out, he was furious. It wasn't the fact that he liked Judi like _that_, it was the fact that she had the nerve to invite someone to watch her skate, especially after he had declared to himself that he wouldn't get angry over it.

And that was how Seger ended up heading to school on his own. His brother, Jarred, hadn't bothered giving him a ride, stating that he was only allowed one other passenger as he had just got his permit and he was giving Judi's brother, Morgan, a ride to the high school. That meant walking in the rain for Seger.

_Things will work out, _he told himself as he kicked a dirty running shoe through a small puddle. _They always do._ Unfortunately, Seger wasn't quite sure he was willing to believe himself; Judi had been awfully mad at him and he had been just as angry with her.

Absently, he kicked his shoe through another puddle and felt his toe collide with something that went skidding down the sidewalk. His eyes shifted to the ground to see a walkie-talkie lying on the pavement. It had a brilliant red grip to it that seemed to warm Seger's hands. None of the shops along the street were open yet so he simply pocketed the device. He'd try and find the owner of it later. Right now, he had other priorities to deal with; the walkie-talkie had had a clock on it and he had noticed that if he didn't hurry he would be given a detention for being late for school.

[Heroes]

Judi Gretzinger tugged at the laces of her figure skates. She hated getting up for the early morning sessions, but she figured that they were better than the ones that went till nine at night. The late practices were the worst, especially on days when she had lots of homework.

"See you tomorrow, Judi," a friend called and Judi waved before tugging the skate off her foot and slipping it into one of her ankle boots. Often enough she didn't have time to change from her skating tights and went for outfits that could hide them easily. She pulled the other skate off and sunk her foot into the other boot before packing her gear.

She hoped she wouldn't be late for school. Her math teacher would have no problem with giving her a detention on a Monday morning, but Judi had a problem receiving it; with all the skating practices she never had time to sit a detention class. They were often just forgotten, but Judi knew that at some point in her life she wouldn't have such an easy time being let go.

Judi lugged her bag out the front door of the arena and huddled under the shelter of the covered awnings. If she stayed inside she wouldn't see her mom's headlights and then she'd be even later for school. No, she couldn't have that happening.

She was just checking the time on her cell phone (for the fifth time) when something in the downpour caught her eye. It was a slick looking walkie-talkie with a brilliant icy blue grip. Judi looked around cautiously, but everyone had left already. She propped her bag up against the side of the arena before dashing out into the rain to retrieve the device. Once she was under the shelter of the awning again did she have time to closely examine it.

The walkie-talkie seemed to be quite expensive as it most notably had an FM radio and a display screen that was flashing all sorts of data that Judi didn't recognize. She saw the words _Digimon _and _Digital World_ flash across the screen briefly, but she didn't think much of it.

Judi was just about to turn around and head back inside to turn the device in to the lost and found when her mom pulled in to the parking lot. Knowing that she was pushing her time she didn't dare race back inside. Instead she simply raced out into the parking lot where her mom was waiting.

[Heroes]

The day slid past Seger in slow motion. He drifted in and out of classes, his mind flitting briefly between the lessons, the walkie-talkie and Judi. Occasionally it would stray to his ski competition that weekend, but not for too long. It wasn't a top priority at the moment.

It wasn't long before the entire day seemed to buzz by and Seger found himself standing outside the school waiting for his brother to come pick him up. Although the two disagreed, Seger and Jarred Davis had a somewhat healthy relationship. They supported each other, which was very important (or at least their mother thought so).

He spotted Judi across the parking lot, talking to Liam Carlson and his eyes narrowed. So that was who she chose to hang out with when she wasn't with him? He scoffed at the idea and watched as Liam bid her farewell and made his way towards home. Judi, on the other hand, slowly made her way back across the lot.

A slick BMW had pulled in to the loop and Seger saw Sarah Johansson race towards it. She wrenched open the front door and he could just make out a girl that was probably Sarah's older sister. They were close enough for Seger to hear Sarah blabber about her she was going to soon be dating Seger. His eyes widened at this news and he quickly turned away, looking for something to make him look occupied.

His hand strayed to the pocket where he had deposited the walkie-talkie. He pulled it out and examined it. Now that rain wasn't splattering the screen he could see that it was flashing a few words. Most of them were numbers that danced across the display, but occasionally he saw words like _Digimon _and _Digital Monsters_ flash too. He had no idea what it meant so he pressed the button for the GPS system instead.

Instantly the device started beeping. Seger, who had been startled by the high pitched noise, juggled the communicator in his hands and looked up in time to see Judi giving him a stare. Her bright green eyes pelted into his blue ones and he turned his attention back to the screen.

Something had come up while his eyes had been diverted to Judi's. It had asked him a question for the two options that were now left on the screen were either 'accept' or 'decline'. Seger wasn't sure what the question was so he shrugged and hit the 'accept' button. The machine hummed in his hand and the screen flickered so that it showed the picture of a small egg that seemed to be bouncing.

"Great," Seger muttered to himself. "Now I'm stuck looking after a virtual pet while I look for the owner of this thing." He had never owned a virtual pet before, but Jarred had owned one when he was younger than Seger. That had been a few years back though and the toys had gone quite out of fashion.

A blue SUV pulled into the parking lot and navigated the icy roads. It honked as it passed Judi and Seger sighed. Jarred was quite fond of Judi and never really understood why Seger had never made a move on her. Of course, there was the constant insisting that they were _just friends_, but Jarred never believed either of them.

The SUV stopped in front of Seger and he eagerly pulled on the handle with one hand while dropping the walkie-talkie –turned-virtual-pet into his pocket with the other.

Jarred Davis looked nothing like his brother. While Seger sported a short 'do of light blonde hair, Jarred had hair as brown as a piece of milk chocolate. His eyes matched his hair while Seger's were as blue as the sky. They were both, however, tall and skinny and it seemed to be the only family resemblance shared between them.

"I heard from Morgan what happened between you and Judi," Jarred said as Seger stepped into the car. "You guys are so denying each other."

Seger's face turned red as he told his brother he did not like Judi as anything more than a friend. He was, however, angry she had told her brother.

Judi and her brother Morgan were as close as siblings could get. They relied on each other for everything and most of the guys at school knew better than to double-cross Judi or they would be hearing from Morgan too.

"Sure," Jarred drawled as they passed Judi on the way out of the lot again. She waved at Jarred before turning her attention to what Seger presumed to be her cell phone.

They rode the rest of the way home in silence and when they pulled into the complex's parking lot Seger was out the door like a shot, determined to be spared from his brother's ranting and get a head start on his homework.

[Heroes]

A few minutes after Jarred and Seger disappeared out of the parking lot, a green Volkswagen beetle pulled into the lot. Judi smiled at her brother who had begrudgingly accepted the car after his mother had insisted on getting it for him. He said it would be passed on to Judi when she turned sixteen.

"I thought you got a ride with Jarred this morning," Judi said as she sank into the front seat. "How'd you get the car?"

Morgan shrugged as he pulled out of the lot. "I had a physio appointment at one and mom gave me the car and took a taxi home."

Judi nodded as they hummed down the road, pausing to stop at the red light.

"You and Seger worked things out yet?" Morgan asked, swivelling his head to look at his sister.

Unlike the Davis brothers, Morgan and Judi were quite obviously siblings. They had the same light, blonde hair (though Judi's had more natural streaks in it than his did) and bright green eyes. The only difference between the two was height. Morgan had grown loads in the last year whereas Judi didn't seem to be shooting up quite as much. She didn't mind though. She was perfectly content with the height she maintained.

Judi shook her head to answer Morgan's question. "Nah," she replied as she pulled a banana from her backpack and began peeling it. "Things will simmer down after the weekend is over. Then things will be back to normal."

Morgan watched his sister before turning his attention back to the road. The light had turned green and he pressed his foot against the gas. He had a sneaking suspicion that his sister wasn't nearly as confident in her words as she would like him to believe.

The ride home was short and Judi eagerly stepped out of the car. She had a lot on her mind and a conversation with her brother wasn't going to fix things.

She plodded up the stairs to the fourth floor before pulling the house key from her pocket and unlocking the door. She headed towards her small bedroom near the back of the apartment and slid into place behind her desk.

For her fourteenth birthday Judi had received a MacBook. It was her pride and joy and she now booted it up as she emptied her pockets of the walkie-talkie and a few stray bobby pins. Her background welcomed her and she sank into the seat, smiling as she did so.

Suddenly, the screen went blank. "No!" Judi shouted, aware that her brother had not yet made it up to the apartment. How could her computer just crash on her? She tapped the keys but nothing seemed to happen. Finally, the screen seemed to light up again and green words flashed across the screen. They seemed to be very similar to the ones that had been previously dancing across the screen of the walkie-talkie and it was then that she noticed the two seemed to be in sync. Words flashed across both of them and Judi gripped the device in her hand, staring at it. There was a beeping sound and the screen of the device was showing her a picture of an egg. It changed to two words that allowed her to accept the egg or decline it. Unconsciously, she pressed accept.

The room was filled with a blinding white light. Screaming in terror, Judi dropped her head to the keyboard of her laptop in hopes of shielding her eyes. The wind rushed past her face and she thought she heard the door knob rattle.

Outside, Morgan was trying to force the door open. He had seen the light emitting itself from underneath Judi's door and had heard her scream, but now that he was pushing his weight against the door, he found himself powerless. There were no locks to any of the doors besides the bathroom and he couldn't understand why Judi's was being so stubborn. Finally, as the light faded from under the door Morgan fell through the doorway. When he struggled to his feet he swallowed a shout of surprise.

Judi was gone.

[Heroes]

Being the type of person that loved to procrastinate, Seger was simply lying on the sofa rather than working on homework. The newest episode of _House _flashed across the screen and his eyes followed the credits, absently watching the names appear and disappear.

The phone rang and Jarred, who was in the kitchen making dinner, answered it. There was a pause as he listened and Seger heard him swear and the phone clatter to the floor. There was a sizzle as the water on the stove boiled over and more cursing from Jarred. Finally, with the stove off and the call disconnected, he stuck his head back into the other room where Seger was lying. The two brothers made eye contact for a brief moment before Jarred sucked in his breath and spoke.

"Judi's missing," he said simply.

[Heroes]

That same day two other people had found walkie-talkies in the city. Sarah Johansson sat with hers placed neatly in her lap. The grip was a brilliant shade of pink (her favourite colour) and she watched the egg bounce happily on the screen. She had never owned a virtual pet before but she was very excited at the prospect. Maybe if she could keep it alive for a while she could persuade her parents to get her a dog. She really enjoyed those Pomeranians.

She was unaware of the happenings in the apartment complex down the road from her mansion, but she was startled when her walkie-talkie began beeping. What did it mean? Was her egg going to hatch? Was the thing low on batteries? She glanced nervously around the room, looking for anything that could make the thing shut-up. Finding nothing though, she turned her attention back to the device. It had stopped beeping but a small red light was flashing near the top of the device. She didn't know what it meant but she didn't have time to find out.

"Sarah!" a voice called from downstairs. "Hurry up! Dinner's getting cold!"

"Coming!" Sarah replied, dropping the device on the pillow of her four poster bed and racing out of the room, not giving the blinking handheld another thought.

[Heroes]

Liam Carlson was surfing the net when it happened. He had picked up a walkie-talkie with a dark blue grip earlier that day, but had dropped it into his backpack without another thought. Now, though, he decided it might be a good idea to look at it.

As soon as the device was close to the computer the monitor went blank. Liam stared at it fixatedly before green words began dancing across it. Liam's mouth hung open and he felt the walkie-talkie in his hand buzz as if it were a cell phone on vibrate. He looked down in time to see the picture of an egg disappear and be replaced with two words: _accept _or _decline._ Shrugging his shoulders to an invisible force, Liam pressed _accept._

The same bright light that had filled Judi's room twenty blocks away now filled Liam's. Wind rushed past his sandy coloured hair and he shielded his cerulean eyes to an unimaginable heat.

When his parents looked in on him later after he didn't respond for dinner they were terrified to find that Liam was nowhere to be found.

[Heroes]

Seger stood in the doorway to Judi's room. It was a familiar place, the posters of figure skaters or cute animals and of course, her wall of goals. There were cut-outs from magazines of all sorts of things like jackets, purses and shoes that showed short-term goals as well as cut-outs of a girl in the middle of a triple axel, an apple and blackboard to signify a teacher as well as an A+ to signal grades for long-term goals. Being goal-oriented, Judi found it easier to visualize the things she wanted most in life. Seger swallowed the lump in his throat at the thought of Judi.

"...and when I finally got the door open she wasn't in here," Morgan continued. Seger could see that he was holding back tears, but he didn't blame him. As Morgan and Judi were so close, it was no wonder Morgan was sick with worry. "She was here though. I heard her scream."

"Maybe she fell out the window," Jarred suggested absently, trying to comfort his best friend.

Morgan shook his head. "The window wasn't open."

Seger stepped out of the room, leaving the two sixteen year olds to themselves. He sank down on the couch in the small sitting room and rested his head in his hands. Judi was gone, but where? And how? She had vanished without a trace and that was when he realized something. Standing quickly he raced back to Judi's room.

His eyes scanned the desk and noticed that the MacBook was gone. It wasn't on her bed and after a quick inspection he found it wasn't in its case, in her backpack or her skating bag. Jarred and Morgan watched him with mild interest, but when they saw the look of excitement on Seger's face they perked up a bit to hear what he had to say.

"Judi's laptop is gone," Seger said eagerly. "I think we just found our first clue.

[Heroes]

Judi woke up with a start and sat up quickly. She was in a room with a low ceiling and had been lying in a small bed. Her head throbbed and she clutched it with one hand. It was then that she realized she was still holding her walkie-talkie and that her laptop was on the bedside table next to the bunny on the chair.

Wait. The bunny on the chair?

Judi examined the stuffed animal closely. It had small, beady black eyes that contrasted with its stark white fur. Green markings dotted its complexion and it sat very stiffly, looking straight ahead.

"Where am I?" Judi murmured to herself, standing up straight and almost hitting her head on the ceiling. It was a good thing she wasn't as tall as Seger.

Seger. Judi gulped and looked around. There was no sign of her (former) best friend or her brother and she was suddenly very scared. What was going on?

It was then that she noticed that she was not the only person in the room. Though at first glance she had thought the room to be small, it was in fact, very large. It seemed to stretch on for another ten feet before the other wall could be seen and it was there that Judi saw something very comforting.

"Liam!" she shrieked, racing across the room and almost tripping into another chair. She bumped it and the blue stuffed animal that had been sitting on it tumbled to the ground.

"Hey, watch it!" it complained, but Judi just stared at it. Behind her, the bunny hopped to the floor and made its way over towards Judi, Liam and the tiny blue creature.

The first thing Liam remembered upon waking up was Judi's terrified screams.


	2. II Another One Bites the Dust

**There will be an update for this for every day until all the current chapters have been uploaded here.**

**Disclaimer: can now be found on my profile page. I do not own the Another One Bites the Dust, for which this chapter was titled after.**

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Morgan didn't go to school the following day, Seger noticed.

Quite frankly, he wasn't too interested in it either. How could he go do mediocre activities in confinement while his best friend was lost somewhere in the world? It was unimaginable.

It was later that day when Seger heard about Liam's disappearance too. It was odd, he thought to himself in his math class, that both Liam _and _Judi had disappeared, especially after they had become much closer over the past couple of days. However, he decided not to dwell on the idea too much. He thought he might be tearing up at the idea of possibly losing Judi.

The egg on his virtual pet hadn't hatched yet. He sort of wondered when it would. Weren't these things supposed to hatch the very next day or something? That's what he had found when he looked it up on a popular website the other day. Why was his taking so long?

_Maybe it's retarded, _Seger thought. _Maybe it will be born with a defect._

Of course, he knew this couldn't be true. It was a virtual pet, dots on a screen. It wasn't a living, breathing creature.

[Heroes]

If Judi was sure of one thing at the moment, it was that she had to be dreaming. There was no way that anything that had come out of 'Terriermon's' mouth could be true.

She had just been filled in on what she had missed after she passed out, and she wasn't liking what she heard. Save the Digital World? Digimon? Olympus Twelve? None of these words held any meaning for the blonde figure skater and she pulled her knees tighter to her chest.

Liam, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying the thought of being far from home. Judi didn't know if it was from a bad home life or other reasons, but she figured that you had to be crazy in order to actually be having fun in this place.

"The only problem is," the small 'DemiVeemon' said slowly, as if Judi and Liam couldn't understand him, "is that there are supposed to be three of you. It was foretold that three tamers would cross over and so far, there's only two of you."

Judi saw Terriermon roll his eyes before smacking the little blue dinosaur-like critter in the back of the head. "They're just late, that's all," he said. "They'll come from the same area, but they probably haven't found their Digivice yet."

_They'll come from the same area._ Judi's throat constricted. What if it was Morgan that found the next 'walkie-talkie'? The devices that both Liam and Judi had found were in fact called Digivices and were used for something called 'Digivolution', whatever that meant.

Wait, worse than the thought of her brother being here was the thought of Seger being here. She couldn't decide if it would be more of a blessing or a curse and for who, but she couldn't stand the thought of Seger having to live through whatever was going on now. She was too scared to face the future and she didn't want her best friend seeing her like this.

It pained Judi to realize that the last time she had really talked to Seger had been on such bad terms, all about the boy she was sitting with now. Liam wasn't a bad kid, but Judi knew that Seger, like her brother, was protective of her in the way that they didn't want her getting hurt. She knew Morgan had good reason (having recently broken up with his girlfriend of two years) but she wasn't too sure about Seger. Perhaps it was the brotherly instinct that must have come with growing up together.

"Judi?"

The blonde figure skater bobbed her head up and looked at Liam, who had just addressed her.

"You okay?" he asked her gently. "You seem a little... out of it."

_Wouldn't you be? _She thought bitterly, but she held it in. No use fighting with the only other sane person in the world. "I'm fine," she muttered. "Let's step outside. I'm starting to feel a little cramped in here." When she saw Liam exchange looks with the Digimon, she rolled her eyes. Could this be any worse?

She left the room with the others trailing behind, ignoring all thoughts of the living room and moving on to the outside world.

It scared her more than the talking animals.

With a rolling landscape and pastel colours, the world reminded Judi much of something out of a fairytale book. There were small, cute houses with multi-coloured roofs and huge children's blocks stacked taller than her apartment complex back home. More talking animals roamed the streets and everywhere she turned she seemed to see eggs that bore a striking resemblance to the one that brought her here.

"Welcome to Primary Village," DemiVeemon said as he gestured around. Judi felt something alight on her shoulder and turned her head slightly to see Terriermon. He had wrapped one ear around her head slightly and as she attempted to brush it off due to how silly it looked, she realized that no one would care. It wasn't like she had the whole school here to laugh at her fashion statements.

"Who are all those Digimon?" Liam asked, pointing around at each passing creature. Judi rolled her eyes. Was this how Liam was going to be the whole trip? Totally absorbed into anything that was moving?

"They're all babies," Terriermon exclaimed. "This is where Digimon come to start afresh. Primary Village is basically heaven on earth."

"This whole place is screwed up," Judi muttered, turning slightly so she could address Terriermon directly. "What are we supposed to-"

She was cut off as a large ear was wrapped over her mouth. The skater struggled in protest as she attempted to wrench Terriermon's ear away, but she stopped as soon as she saw what everyone else was looking at.

A young girl was striding down the middle of the pathway, except, she wasn't really a young girl. Though she was shorter than Judi, she gave an air of importance, giving the skater a sense that she was older than she looked. Her blue hair was pleated into braids and her eyes were covered by a large helmet. However, Judi and Liam's eyes weren't exactly trained on what she looked like, but more like what she was holding.

Dragging on the ground from her right hand was the largest sword Judi had ever seen in TV, cartoons, books and even her imagination. It was easily the same size as the girl and was so fat that Judi was sure that Seger could have stood behind it and not have his shoulders be seen.

"Quick," she heard DemiVeemon say. "Back inside."

Unconsciously, Judi was pulled back inside, carefully clinging to her laptop in one hand and her Digivice in the other while making sure Terriermon didn't fall off in the rush. She caught one last glimpse of the girl as she turned slightly to see what they were up to, but then the door of the house closed behind them and the two Digimon were ushering them towards a trapdoor that had been previously covered by a rug in the family room.

"In here," Terriermon said as he lifted the door. Liam grabbed it from him and jumped down, dragging Judi behind him. The lid swung shut and Judi held her breath. Only Seger, Morgan and Jarred knew of her fear of small spaces.

Though they were obviously in the root cellar of the house, Judi and Liam could still hear what was going on above. A sharp rap on the door signified that the girl had spotted them as they made their hasty entrance into the house. There was a dull thud as the warrior dragged her sword across the threshold and into DemiVeemon and Terriermon's house.

"What are you hiding?" the girl spat.

"Nothing, Minervamon," Terriermon replied calmly. "Why would you ever think such a thing?"

"You know the rules," Minervamon continued, as if she hadn't heard the small green and white rabbit. "No humans. You find one, you kill one."

"Of course, Minervamon," Judi heard DemiVeemon say. "Except, we haven't come across a human yet. When we do, we will certainly take the chance to eliminate them."

There was a growl from the girl as she mumbled something that Judi couldn't hear, before leaving the house. A silence captured the house for a moment before the door opened and Judi let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding.

"What was that all about?" Liam asked as he stepped out of the root cellar after Judi.

Terriermon and DemiVeemon exchanged glances before turning their attention back to the two humans. "That's the reason you're here," they replied in unison.

[Heroes]

Jarred hunched his shoulders against the cool wind that whipped through the courtyard of the high school. He had tried calling Morgan twice already but his best friend wasn't answering the phone and this worried Jarred a bit. Morgan had been through a stage of depression before, and Jarred wasn't quite sure if leaving his friend home alone today had been a good idea.

He tugged at the collar of his jacket and looked around. Only a few other people had decided to brave the icy weather and it was during this time that Jarred noticed something out of place in the courtyard.

A small walkie-talkie lay abandoned on the cobbled ground, bright against the dull grey. Its white body was illuminated by a light orange grip that felt just right in his hand. Jarred cocked an eyebrow as he examined the device for anything that might show who it might belong to, but after finding no such evidence he stuffed it into his pocket. He'd have to hand it in to the office later, but as the rain began to fall Jarred seemingly forgot about the device he had just found. It was almost as if it hadn't existed at all.

Jarred hadn't come home that day. He never even left school, if you wanted to think of it like that. Like the others before him (Judi and Liam) he had been near a computer when his 'walkie-talkie' called for attention.

Glancing down at it as it rested on the desk beside his computer, Jarred tuned out the teacher, something that by now, he was very good at. On the screen there was a question.

_Do you accept the egg?_

The screen changed again to show two choices, the obvious 'yes' or 'no'. Not really thinking, Jarred hit 'yes'.

Like Judi's room, the computer lab was filled with a howling wind, a bright light and screams and shouts from all the students. Jarred shielded his eyes from the light emitting from his computer screen, the walkie-talkie still clutched in his hands. What has happening?

When all the hubbub died down, no one really noticed Jarred's absence. Most figured he had gotten spooked by what had happened, and really, who could blame him? It was only by the end of the day that a few people began wondering where he went.

[Heroes]

Like when he found out about Judi, Seger was lying on the couch watching TV when he got the phone call home. His parents had decided to take a week-long vacation in New York City due to some possible acting gig for his mother and the house was empty. Seger didn't mind though. It gave him a lot of time to try and figure out what has happening.

"Hello," he said into the hand-held receiver. "Davis residents."

"Hello, I'm looking for the man or lady of the house. Are either of them in?" the man on the other end of the phone asked. His voice was gruff and sounded like he meant business.

"For now, you're speaking to him," Seger replied smugly. "My brother's due to be home any minute though, if you'd rather talk to him."

"You must be Seger then," the man continued. "This is actually about your brother. Are your parents in?"

Seger had taken his home alone course back when he was ten; he didn't need reminding what you told strangers on the phone when his parents weren't home.

"They've just stepped out," he announced. "Can I take a message?"

The man sighed. "No, you better just listen to it now and tell them when they get in. Is your brother Jarred Alexander Davis?"

The colour drained from Seger's face. Was Jarred in trouble? Had he gotten in a fight or caught up in some drug scandal? Of course not, Seger assured himself. Jarred would never do drugs in his life.

"Yes," Seger replied hastily, realizing the man on the other end was waiting for him to reply. "Like you stated, I'm his brother, Seger."

"Right, of course, of course," the man muttered to himself. "Alright, well, your brother went missing today."

The phone nearly dropped out of Seger's hand. This was the third disappearance between the span of two days! His best friend, his rival and his brother? Who would be next? Seger's blue eyes involuntarily drifted towards the wall that separated his apartment from Judi's. Morgan was the next closest person he knew, other than his actual family. Would be sucked into the chaos too?

"Seger?"

Seger hadn't realized that he was still on the phone. With a guilty look and a small lump in his throat he managed to squeak out a feeble reply.

"Just checking if you were okay," said the man, no doubt a policeman, Seger now figured.

"I'm fine," the boy answered. A few more words were exchanged here and there and then the phone was hung up and Seger sank to the ground, wondering what was going on in Vancouver.

[Heroes]

A knock at the door woke Morgan up and he stumbled through the apartment in his boxers and a t-shirt, trying to orientate himself again. He had been sleeping for most of the days, hoping to forget the sorrows of losing his little sister. He had no idea what he'd tell his parents when they came home from their trip to New York with the Davis', but he was sure that they would be quite hysterical.

"_What were you thinking?" _his mother would ask. _"We leave you in charge for a week and you just _lose _Judi?"_

Morgan sneered at the thought, tugging a discarded hoodie over his head and a pair of basketball shorts on over his boxers. The bell rang again and his voice carried out towards the door.

"I'm coming!" he called out impatiently. He shuffled over and yanked open the door, but surprisingly, no one was there. _I guess they just got restless, _he thought gruffly as he noticed a small, brown parcel on the ground. He picked it up and shook it carefully, listening for any signs of what it might be. There was no return address on the outside, only a strange stamp inked across the top right corner.

Morgan shut the door behind him and sank onto the couch, letting his hands drift over the neatly wrapped box. He hadn't ordered anything, and it couldn't be from New York from his parents. There would have been a name in return or something. Carefully, he slid his fingers under the paper and lifted, allowing the packaging to rip free of the tape binding it together.

Underneath the paper was a small tin box, similar to the one that Judi kept small keepsakes in. He wedged the lid off carefully and peered inside.

Nestled between a few sheets of tissue paper was a walkie-talkie. The grip around one side of it was a light green, the same colour as an olive and the buttons were painted over white. A black screen took up one third of the actual device, and when Morgan picked it up the screen flickered on. It hummed slightly in his hand and he felt drawn to it. Who would send him a device like this?

A question flashed across the screen, but Morgan barely saw it. He simply pressed the button accepting whatever it had been and watched as a small egg appeared on the screen. It bobbed up and down as if it were dancing and Morgan closed his eyes. He didn't want some stupid virtual pet. He wanted his sister back.

Another knock at the door sent Morgan racing for it, hoping it was the same person who dropped off the package. Instead, he was surprised to find Seger.

"Oh, hey, Seger," Morgan said slowly, opening the door wider for the younger Davis brother to stride in. He looked nervous and was fidgeting with something clutched tightly in his hand, but Morgan didn't pay much attention to it. It was the look on Seger's face that bothered Morgan the most.

"Somebody else go missing?" Morgan asked quietly, shifting from foot to foot. When Seger didn't answer right away he took the silence for a yes. "Who is it then?"

Seger inhaled sharply, and Morgan realized it was another person who was close to Seger. His heart sank. There could only be one other person.

"It's Jarred," Seger said.

[Heroes]

"Why is there no cell signal?" Liam whined, waving his phone around inside the house. "I mean, how are we supposed to contact people?"

Judi sighed and clicked away on her laptop, searching for an internet access point. If what Terriermon and DemiVeemon said were true, then because they were in the Digital World there should be an access point anywhere. The whole thing was basically a huge chunk of computer data; a chunk that probably had internet service.

She sighed in frustration, blowing her bangs out of her face and scrolling through menus and options when finally, something dinged. A new window had appeared on her screen, alerting her to a new-found connection point.

"Yes!" Judi screamed, sending Terriermon toppling off the table-top in surprise. Liam raced to her side and together they peered happily at the window.

"What should we try first?" Liam asked, but Judi already had other plans. She headed towards her messenger service, bringing it up and quickly logging in. Just her luck.

The computer back home was always on and automatically logged in to Morgan's account. She brought up a conversation with him and hit the webcam invitation button. Hopefully Morgan was home and was close to the computer. If not, they would have to try again later.

[Heroes]

A ding from the computer behind him alerted Morgan to the fact that someone was trying to start a video conversation with him.

_Right now? _He thought angrily as he marched over to the computer, ready to hit decline. _When my sister and my best friend go missing._

However, he paused when he saw who was ringing for him. "Seger?" he called over his shoulder. The younger Davis brother crossed the room and peered over Morgan's shoulder. On the screen was a webcam invitation from Judi.

"Maybe it's her captor," Seger suggested, heading along the lines of kidnapping. "He could want to give a ransom or something."

Morgan shrugged and hit the accept button. There was a brief moment when the screen loaded and his webcam came to life, but when he saw who appeared on the screen opposite, he felt like he could cry.

Staring back at him was his little sister, Liam Carlson and two small stuffed animals.


	3. III Dirty Little Secrets

"Morgan!"

Judi's screech filled the room as the fourteen year-old gazed at the screen on her laptop. Staring back at her was her brother and Seger, who were both looking mildly puzzled, but also very relieved.

"Jeez, you gotta yell so loud?" DemiVeemon asked, rubbing his pointed blue ears. "Some of us would like to be able to hear later today."

"You're one to talk," Terriermon grumbled as he cradled his two, long ears in his paws. He massaged them gently, but Judi barely noticed. She was speechless with joy. Finally, something familiar; something she was comfortable with.

"Judi, where are you?" Morgan asked, peering around the screen as if it would help him gain a better understanding of the area on the other side. "It looks like you're in a house."

"And did those things just talk?" Typical of Seger to point out the random obvious.

"Hey! Those _things_ have names you know," Terriermon piped up. He stepped closer to the screen of the laptop, peering at Morgan anxiously. "I'm Terriermon."

"And I'm DemiVeemon," Liam's partner replied.

Morgan and Seger exchanged glances before turning their attention back to the screen. They couldn't both be hallucinating, could they? Morgan shook the thought away, dismissing the talking critters for now. It was certainly the least of his worries at the moment.

Remembering Morgan's question, Judi glanced down at Terriermon for advice. Should she tell Morgan and Seger about the Digital World.

"Go ahead," Terriermon advised. "I have a feeling about these two."

Judi sighed. How would her brother and best friend react when she told them where she was?

_They'll probably think I'm in a mental institution or something, _she thought sourly. Inhaling again, she proceeded to explain (or attempt to explain) where she and Liam had wound up.

[Heroes]

"You expect us to believe that?" Seger asked. Judi had just finished explaining everything that happened, but how could he believe any of it? For goodness sake, Digital World? Digimon partners? Digivices?

Suddenly, the walkie-talkie in his hand felt very hot. Hadn't Judi mentioned something about an egg?

"Did your Digivice happen to look anything like this?" he asked, holding up the walkie-talkie with the flaming red grip. He saw Judi purse her lips, a sign that showed she didn't like what she was seeing. Morgan, on the other hand, was quite surprised.

"I just got one of those in the mail," he said, holding his own up. "Someone left it at the door, so I don't know who it's from."

Seger looked back to the screen where he saw the two critters, Terriermon and DemiVeemon, exchange pleased looks.

"You knew about this?" he asked them, not bothering to hold back his hostility.

"We're just pleased that they arrived," DemiVeemon replied. "Have your eggs hatched yet?"

Morgan shook his head. "I just got mine today."

"Mine's been dormant for a few days. I thought the thing was broken," Seger added, shaking the device to emphasize his impatience. He was beginning to take things a bit better now that it was starting to sink in. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that this was all just a dream. I mean, why wouldn't it be? He was probably just stressed that Judi was gone.

_Maybe that means Jarred really isn't missing either, _he thought to himself. _And when I wake up I'll be back on the couch and he'll just be walking in through the door._

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door, though it was muffled. It took Seger a moment to realize that the knock at the door was actually coming through the computer. Wherever Judi and Liam were, they now had visitors.

He saw Terriermon hop down from the table and head towards a door he couldn't quite see via the webcam, but could still hear the conversation.

"He's arrived," he heard something say excitedly. It reminded Seger of the voice his two year-old baby cousin had, young and child-like. "We have to hurry and get him inside before Minervamon patrols back around, or one of the others."

"Right," he heard Terriermon say. There was the soft click as the door shut and then the rabbit Digimon bounded back to the table.

"The third Tamer has arrived," he announced, "but he's unconscious and too big for us to handle. You two need to help us get him in here before Minervamon comes back and finds him. He'll be killed if she knows he's here, and if that happens then the Digital World cannot be saved."

Judi glanced guiltily at the camera and said, "I guess this means good-bye for now."

"Wait, Judi," Morgan said. His voice sounded slightly strangled, like he couldn't just end the conversation, and Seger couldn't blame him. Seeing Judi, hearing from Judi, had lifted his spirits.

"Don't worry," she assured her brother. "I'm sure we can gain connection again soon. How about tomorrow, same time?"

Seger saw Morgan bite his bottom lip, contemplating whether or not to accept the offer. He watched as Liam disappeared from view, presumably to help Terriermon and DemiVeemon.

"Alright," the older Gretzinger said. "But don't forget."

Seger smiled as Judi's recognizable grin appeared on her face. "Don't even worry about it," she said smartly before promptly ending the video call.

[Heroes]

Judi followed Liam, Terriermon and DemiVeemon out the door as quickly as possible. She was coming down from an all time high; the ability to be able to speak to her brother and best friend was news that easily lifted her spirits. However, she had to calm down. Someone's life was at stake at the moment, and she couldn't spend her time goofing off. She had to help this person or else let him fall victim to Minervamon's sword, something she couldn't bring herself to let happen.

The group quickly made their way through Primary Village, passing baby Digimon who stared at them in a mixture of amazement and horror.

"Won't they report us to Minervamon?" Judi asked suddenly, realizing the danger that she and Liam were possibly in.

"They wouldn't dare," DemiVeemon replied as they raced between another set of closely grouped houses. "They're miserable under the watch of the Olympians. They long for freedom."

Sharp turns tumbled one after another and Judi soon found herself totally discombobulated. She would never be able to find her way back to the house if they continued through the maze of buildings, blocks and other child-like toys if. The skater trained her eyes on the back of Terriermon's soft white head and followed him around another corner where she stopped, almost tripping over the last human to arrive.

"...Jarred?" Judi whispered aloud, amazed. The final Tamer to join them just so happened to the one other person besides Morgan and Seger who was practically a brother to her.

The boy on the ground stirred slightly and a small winged mammal flew to his side. It could almost be classified as a pig with wings, for that was what it looked like (or, at least to Judi it did). It was mostly orange in colour, save its underside and most of its face, which was white.

"Hurry!" it shrilled in a very child-like voice. "My front door is wide open. We have to get him there before-"

"Chill out, Patamon," Terriermon scolded as Liam and Judi moved to sling Jarred's arms over their shoulders. "You just got to chill."

'Patamon' didn't look like he had the brain capacity to calm down though. He flew anxiously above the three Tamers as they stumbled their way towards a small house with an open front door.

"So, I take it you know him?" Liam huffed as they dragged their way towards Patamon's house. A large group of baby Digimon had gathered around them and Terriermon and DemiVeemon were trying to shoo them away. They couldn't have any attractions towards them, in case Minervamon came wandering around.

"He's my best friend's older brother," Judi replied. They crossed the threshold of the house, dragged Jarred to the couch and collapsed as soon as Terriermon shut the door behind them. Patamon looked like he was coming down from a sugar rush, whizzing around their heads and chattering aimlessly. However, Judi and Liam continued their conversation as they made sure Jarred was comfortable.

"Oh, you mean Seger Davis?" Liam asked and Judi stiffened slightly.

"Yeah," she replied, a more slowly than she had intended. Liam picked it up and cast her a curious glance.

"Something going on between you two?"

"Yes. I mean, no. I mean, depends," Judi stuttered. "I mean, we're not interested in each other like _that, _but we're in a bit of a fight right now, if that's what you mean."

A heavy silence fell between the two and Judi swallowed nervously. It wasn't exactly the kind of conversation she wanted to be sharing with Liam. After all, she didn't know him that well, even if she had invited him to watch her skate this weekend.

_Oh my gosh, _she thought suddenly, her eyes widening. _My competition on the weekend! What if I don't make it back?_

Terriermon seemed to have noticed the look of shock on Judi's face, for he came and sat in her lap. "Relax," he murmured. "We're gonna figure this out."

[Heroes]

When Sarah awoke the next morning, it wasn't to the sound of Miley Cyrus blasting out of her clock radio. In fact, it wasn't the sound of anything blasting out of her clock radio. Instead, a high pitched beeping sound radiated throughout the room and Sarah stumbled out of bed in search of the device that was emitting the sound.

She found the walkie-talkie lying in a heap of yesterday's designer clothes, announcing to her that the egg on her screen was about to hatch.

"Oh goodie," she mumbled, annoyed that she had been woken for the prestigious hatching of the egg. She checked the clock and scowled. Normally she would still be sleeping... for another two hours.

She pressed a button on the device to speed up the process and nearly yelped out loud when a shock riveted the device. Sarah dropped the walkie-talkie on her clothes and watched as it burst into the brightest light she had ever encountered. For a brief moment, there was no up and no down; there was no left or right, just absolute nothingness. When the light faded however, it revealed something that Sarah hoped desperately was just part of her brain acting up.

The creature lying on the floor in front of her was literally a pile of pink slime. It had two small, beady black eyes and a dull yellow beak that looked like it could possibly develop into something quite sharp if it grew. It stared at Sarah a moment before beginning to scoot towards her.

"Get away from me!" Sarah exclaimed, backing up and promptly tripping over a stack of magazines, which in turn spilled all over the hard wood floor. She landed with a thud and groaned as she rubbed her newly bruised tailbone. What else would go wrong this morning?

"Why?" the creature asked, causing Sarah to stutter something incoherent. She was too afraid to scream, afraid to know what her parents would think. They'd probably think she was crazy or something.

_That's it, _she thought to herself as she and the creature moved across the floor, one trying to escape and one trying to follow. _I'm crazy, I'm dreaming! When I wake up this thing will _not _be here and everything will be alright._

"Are you my Tamer?" the creature asked. "You must be, you must be!"

"I have n-no idea what you're t-talking about," Sarah stuttered as her back hit the wall of her bedroom.

"My name is Pururumon. What's yours?"

"Get out!" Sarah all but screeched. She watched in horror as 'Pururumon' narrowed its eyes. Tears welled in the corners and soon the baby Digimon was crying so loudly, Sarah was afraid it'd wake the whole house.

"Shh, shh," she said, trying to calm the thing down a bit. She was constantly listening for the tell-tale sign that her parents were waking up and moving through the house to figure out what was going on. "I didn't mean it," Sarah lied. "You can stay here... as long as you'd like, just as long as you stop crying!"

Pururumon's tears stopped in a matter of moments and it stared up at Sarah with hope in its eyes. "You mean it?" she asked sweetly and Sarah almost groaned. She had never owned a pet before, so this was definitely going to be tough.

"Yeah, I mean it," she said. "But come on, we have to start getting ready."

"Getting ready for what?" Pururumon asked as it followed Sarah around the room. The Tamer was collecting items of clothing off her floor and making her way to the small screen in the corner of her room. Sarah loved changing behind it just because it gave her a sense of authority; something of a higher classed aristocrat than she was.

"School," Sarah's muffled voice replied. "You can't stay here during the day; my mom or the cleaning lady will find you. The only other option is to take you with me.

[Heroes]

"This is bad. This is really bad. This is so, unbelievably-"

"Bad. Yeah, I get it Seger," Morgan muttered to a pacing Seger Davis as the two boys clustered together in Seger's living room. After the disappearance of Jarred, Morgan had moved into the Davis apartment for the time being. Both had an idea of where Seger's older brother may have disappeared to, but they still crossed their fingers. After all, there was a chance that he could have been mugged, beaten and left to die in the streets (it wasn't uncommon in Vancouver).

Gathered together on the couch were two very small creatures that both Seger and Morgan assumed were Digimon. After their conversation with Judi and Liam the day before, they had become very wary of the eggs pulsating on their screen.

"What are we supposed to do with them?" Seger asked. "We both have to go to school today, and I don't think I can just leave-"

"Poyomon," the ghost-like Digimon replied. It grinned stupidly at Seger, who turned away.

"Yeah, whatever, Poyomon. I can't leave him here. Who knows what he'll do? Probably tear up the place and cause a lot of damage."

Morgan highly doubted that two very small Digimon could do so much damage. They were just data, right? How could bits of computer coding actually ruin a whole apartment? However, Seger did have a bit of brains. They couldn't very well just leave the two Digimon on their own. What if someone happened to pass by the window and se e them?

"We'll just have to take them with us," Morgan concluded. "You don't have a half locker, do you?"

Seger shook his head. "I requested a full size this year, in case I needed to take the bus up to the mountain and therefore, bring my skis to school. I guess Poyomon will be alright there."

Morgan nodded and glanced at his own Digimon. He didn't know what its name was, but he figured he could deal with that later. It wasn't really important at the moment. He just had to focus on what to do with the little thing.

[Heroes]

All day, Seger was in a constant state of motion. It was like he was suddenly diagnosed with ADHD because he found that no matter what, he couldn't sit still. There was just no way that he could stay focussed in class with little Poyomon crammed into his locker.

Despite how jumpy he was in class, Seger found it harder to stay calm in between classes. Every time he opened his locker, Poyomon threatened to throw himself at Seger in excitement. The boy had to open the door very slowly and thrust his hand inside to prevent people from seeing the small, white, ghost-like Digimon.

"Did you bring me food?" Poyomon whined as Seger opened his locker between his math and science class. He dumped his books onto the shelf not occupied by his Digimon and shook his head.

"It's not lunchtime yet," he reasoned, pulling out a science textbook and rummaging around in the bottom of his locker for homework he had completed last week.

"When?" the Digimon asked. "I'm hungry!"

Seger rolled his eyes and shut the locker door in Poyomon's face. Luckily, the critter didn't make too much noise in the dark (Seger figured he was scared) and he was able to leave him alone in peace.

As Seger ventured down the hallway towards his science lab, his attention was drawn towards another locker. Sarah Johansson was evidently talking... to the inside of her locker.

"Shh," she cooed gently. "If you're extra good, I'll give you a cinnamon bun later."

Whatever she was talking to apparently liked that, for Sarah slammed the locker door and peered anxiously down the halls. When her eyes fell on Seger, they widened and she flushed bright red. She obviously knew that he had heard whatever she had said to her locker.

"Talking to... my cousin," she muttered. "On my cell phone. You know, no phone calls in school?"

Seger nodded absently. He did know about the rules for phones in school; you could only use them outside the building. It would make sense that Sarah would be sneakily holding a conversation in her locker, but he couldn't help but shake the feeling that Sarah wasn't telling him everything.

They parted ways at the next intersection, Seger heading off to science while Sarah scurried off to English. They hadn't talked at all, and it was only when Seger reached his class that he realized how strange that was. Normally, Sarah would be chatting up a storm with him, but it was apparent that they were both lost in their own thoughts.

[Heroes]

By the end of the day, Seger was mentally exhausted. _This is why I've never owned a dog, _he thought to himself as he shoved Poyomon on top of all his school books in his backpack.

"Hey!" the Digimon protested. "I'm not going in there! There's no room for me!"

"There will be if you would just let me flatten your head," Seger grunted. Most of the other students had already left, allowing Seger to openly shove the small Digimon into his backpack.

"No!" Poyomon shouted. "I. WON'T. LET. YOU!" He all but leapt from the backpack, causing Seger to fling himself at the Digimon. In his haste, his Digivice flew from his pocket, skidding down the hallway. It only stopped when it hit the garbage can at the far end, but when it did it emitted a strange light.

"Oh crap," Seger muttered, but already there was too much change. Poyomon had begun to glow to, surrounded in large holographic rings.

"Poyomon Digivolve to... Puttimon!"

The light from both the Digivice and Poyomon disappeared, but the creature Seger was holding wasn't anything like the ghost-like Digimon from before.

The new Digimon was a small, white blob with two large black eyes that stared up at Seger. He had a pointed horn-like appendage protruding from the top of his body while a pair of golden wings fluttered uselessly from his back.

"Oh my god," Seger moaned as he raced to grab his fallen Digivice. "What just happened?"

This was not good. What would Morgan say when he found out that Seger had just blown everything? It was hard enough to keep Poyomon a secret, but now that he had grown bigger, it would be even harder.

"Wahoo!" Puttimon shouted, his voice echoing down the halls of the empty school.

Or so they thought.

The sounds of footsteps reverberated around the walls and Seger panicked. He ran back to his locker and threw Puttimon inside, despite his protests. Apparently, though, he was not afraid of the dark anymore.

"Hey! Let me out! I'll beat you to a pulp, Seger!"

Sarah Johansson reeled around the corner, her cerulean eyes darting around.

"Was that you shouting?" she asked as she struggled with her backpack. It looked heavy to Seger, as if she had stuffed in too many books.

"Uh, yeah," Seger said. "I'm just, uh, really happy school is over."

Sarah didn't seem too convinced. Her eyes drifted to Seger's locker where Puttimon could still be heard hollering from the inside.

"Your locker is screaming at you," she pointed out flatly.

"Uh, my cell phone?" Seger offered back. He watched Sarah's eyes narrow. She knew he was lying because when she had asked him for his cell number the other day he had bluntly told her he didn't have one.

"What are you hiding?" she asked, stepping forward.

The next moment happened in a blur. Sarah yelped as her backpack seemed to twist away from her. She fell to the ground, something flying from her bag and clanging against the lockers. Seger didn't have time to check what it was, because a familiar silver light was bursting from the seams of Sarah's backpack.

The look on Sarah's face closely mimicked that of absolute horror that had adorned Seger's not long ago. The thing that had flown from Sarah's back when she had fallen was illuminated with silver light as well and as Seger squinted to see what it was, he realized it was a Digivice. It was exactly like his except the grip was a brilliant shade of pink, rather than the flaming red of his.

"Pururumon Digivolve to... Poromon!"

The zipper on Sarah's backpack broke and a small bird-like Digimon tumbled out. Its pink wings were larger than Puttimon's and it was apparent that they could be used to help the creature stay aloft for a few seconds. Seger watched as its beak clicked open and shut as it spluttered to find the right words and hopped around, trying to catch its bearings and causing the tall feather tucked into the back of its hair bounce.

"Oh no," Sarah moaned. She couldn't say anything else. Besides, what was she supposed to say? It's not what you think? I'm not a freak?

Fortunately, she didn't have to try to say anything else. With a very loud _bang, _Seger's locker door was all but blown off its hinges. It swayed from side to side as Puttimon stared out, a triumphant look glazed onto his face.

"That'll teach you," he scoffed at Seger, but when he saw the Poromon bouncing around on the floor, his grin widened. "Goody!" he exclaimed. "Another Digimon to play with!"


	4. IV Footloose

It had taken a lot longer to get Jarred to understand what was happening than it had taken either Judi or Liam. Judi figured it was his age; he just wasn't willing to accept the fact that he was no longer on planet Earth and that he now had to save this world.

"You guys are crazy," Jarred said for the millionth time, and Judi rolled her eyes. "I'm dreaming, right?"

"Yeah, Jarred," the skater replied sarcastically. "This is all just one big dream."

The older boy glared at Judi before dropping his head to his hands and resting it between his legs as he perched on the edge of the couch in Patamon's house. The owner was swooping down towards Jarred before turning abruptly and flying away. He seemed too nervous to actually want to get to know Jarred in person, preferring to watch the interactions between the humans.

"How can this be real?" Jarred mumbled. "You said that this whole place is made of digital code. If that's so, then what happened to us? Are we digital code too? And what happens when we try and go back home?"

Judi had never thought of this and she paused, thinking things through. If they were now digital code, what would happen if they tried to go back home; home where people were made of flesh and blood?

"Don't worry," Terriermon assured. "Nothing bad has ever happened to a human Tamer when travelling back and forth between the Digital World."

"Good," Liam said, but Jarred was already firing out his next question.

"And how long ago was that?" he spat.

Terriermon, DemiVeemon and Patamon exchanged looks. "Before the rule of the Olympians," they decided, finally.

"And how long ago was that?" Judi asked, echoing Jarred's question.

"Erm, about three hundred years ago... " DemiVeemon squeaked.

With a groan, Jarred dropped back on the couch and buried his face in a pillow. They were doomed to live in this digital world for the rest of their lives.

"Maybe you should tell us a bit more about these Olympians," Liam suggested, trying to divert the conversation away from the fact that there could be no way out of this deal. "What's up with them?"

A brief silence filled the room, leaving everyone uncomfortable. _What are they not telling us? _Judi thought as she watched DemiVeemon, Terriermon and Patamon exchange another set of looks.

"Alright," Terriermon said, breaking the silence. "I guess you have the right to know."

[Heroes]

"It started ordinarily enough, with a group of twelve Tamers and twelve Digimon, somewhat like you and your friends, except a few more people," DemiVeemon began as Judi, Liam and Jarred crowded around him. "They were brought here to keep the peace and restore justice where it was needed. It was when they began taking their jobs a little too seriously, that things got out of hand."

"The Olympus Twelve, as they're called now, began getting power-hungry," Terriermon stated. "Their leader pretty much figured that if they had enough power to bring justice and peace, why not just control the whole world?"

"So, that's sort of what they did," Patamon said. "Their power grew and their hearts turned greedy. Soon enough we were under their reign, and it wasn't too bad. It's only been about the last few years where things have gotten a bit... nasty."

"Like all 'family members', according to your mythologies, they fight a lot. It never used to affect us, but now it's gotten out of control. You've been brought here to help sort out the mess and dethrone them. It's high time the Digital World went back to the way it was," Terriermon concluded.

"So... wait," Jarred said slowly. "If they came into power like, three hundred years ago, wouldn't the kids be ancient?"

"They scrap their Tamers every few decades in favour of younger hosts," DemiVeemon explained. "They've sort of fused with their Tamers in what we've dubbed as 'bio-merging'. When fused together, the Olympus Twelve get an extra added boost to their powers. The children are apparently sent back to your world so their parents don't get too worried, but no one has been able to figure out when. If we can figure that out, we can over-throw them when they're weaker."

"That means that the kids that are hosting the Olympus Twelve... could possibly be people we know?" Liam asked, the thought dawning on all of them.

"Essentially, yes," Patamon replied.

Judi let that sink in. Anyone from school could be an Olympus Twelve. What about that girl from her math class? Alyssa Adams could potentially be hosting a digital monster within her and not really know it. Or the girls from skating? Fiona Pendleton couldn't possibly lead the double-life as a stolen Tamer, could she?

"How do we defeat them without killing the humans?" Jarred asked, breaking Judi's concentration. "I'm pretty sure their parents wouldn't appreciate the fact that we've blown their kids to bits."

Judi couldn't help but smile. Trust Jarred to try and boost the mood.

"What DemiVeemon said," Patamon chirped. "The part about catching them when they're not bio-merged together. That's when we can strike down the Digimon half of them and try and talk sense into the kids."

Judi nodded. There was a lot of stuff that they had to do, she realized. It wasn't so much just saving another world; now they had to save a group of twelve kids as well.

"What do we do now?" she asked, glancing around at the small group. "Shouldn't we be out there doing something?"

Terriermon shook his head. "Curfew's in a couple of hours; we won't have time to do anything else. The best we can do is just go to bed and wait for morning."

[Heroes]

The long and awkward silence that had followed Seger and Sarah's encounter had followed them back to Seger's apartment. Morgan, who had been there for at least five minutes, was shocked to find Seger bringing home an outsider; someone who wasn't in on their secret. However, that soon changed when he found out about Poromon, Sarah's Digimon.

Upon finding out that Poyomon had changed into something now called Puttimon, Morgan also revealed that his Digimon, YukiBotamon, had transformed as well. Seger now had a small yellow, cat-like Digimon named Nyaromon bouncing around his apartment as well.

After a long three hours of convincing Sarah that Digimon were real and that she was not crazy and should not be enrolled in a mental institution, the three of them sat around in the Davis apartment for a long time, listening to their Digimon chatter with each other on the wonders of the human world.

[Heroes]

It hardly felt like sleeping, to Judi, for when she awoke the next morning she felt like she had barely slept at all. Not surprisingly, Jarred and Liam felt almost the exact same.

They had a lot of time to kill before another video call with Morgan and Seger, so Terriermon decided it would as good a day as ever to take them out and show them around the village.

"What about Minervamon?" Liam asked nervously as the Digimon led the way out into the sunshine.

"The Olympus Twelve have their council meetings today," DemiVeemon explained. "We shouldn't run into her unless we venture close to Mount Olympus, which we are not."

The others nodded and followed their Digimon obediently, like dogs following their masters. Primary Village was a serene place of peace and quiet, and Judi found it immensely relaxing. Unfortunately, it seemed that the Digital World wasn't always as pleasant as the village.

"We'll be travelling soon," Terriermon warned. "The rest of the Digital World isn't afraid to hurt you guys."

"So what do we do if we get jumped by another Digimon?" Jarred asked. "By the sounds of this Minervamon, they're not all pint sized like you guys."

"That's where Digivolving comes in," Patamon explained. "But we don't have time to talk about that now. Well, actually, we do, but who wants to?"

As much as she hated arriving in this strange world, Judi found herself enjoying her first full day in the Digiworld. They found a small pond to dunk their feet into and ate pastries from a local shop. Eventually, they found themselves in a large field a little ways away from the village. It was here that Liam suggested a foot race.

Jarred and Judi agreed to the race, finding that the three of them were pretty equal in speed; Judi had short legs but made up for it with the many strides she could take and her almost unlimited amount of breath whereas Liam was known for his track and field abilities and Jarred for his soccer.

"Can we ride on your backs?" Terriermon suggested. "As you can tell, I've never been one to run very fast."

Judi laughed and allowed the rabbit-like Digimon to hop on her shoulders. He wrapped his ears around her neck loosely so as not to fall off and soon DemiVeemon found himself perched precariously on Liam's shoulders. The small Digimon was gripping Liam's shirt tightly and had a slightly nervous expression on his face.

Patamon, chose to referee. He flew in tight circles above their heads, instructing them that whoever could make it to the trees at the opposite end of the field first would win.

"I've got this one," Jarred boasted. "I've got the longer legs."

"But I've got the experience," Liam added. "Who won silver in last year's five thousand meter event at the Hershey cup?"

"I can run the fastest," Judi countered. "It doesn't matter if you guys get a halfway start, I'll sprint the whole distance and get both you guys."

The fiery intensity of a competition seemed to have brought them closer together; they didn't have to worry about the fact that they weren't on planet Earth anymore. Instead, all that mattered was making it to the far trees before any of the others.

"Let's just get started," Patamon said as the runners readied themselves. "On you marks... get set... Go!"

Each runner took off at a slightly different pace, Jarred pulling out in front, Judi tying up the middle and Liam bringing up the rear. They jogged easily enough through the meadow, tripping occasionally over small rises in the ground or giggling from the long grass tickling their legs.

At the halfway point, things changed speeds. Liam sped up, passing Judi and catching up to Jarred. Not too long after that, when the three-quarter mark set in, Judi sprinted ahead, catching both boys off guard and beating them to the trees. They were all too out of breath to complain to each other at first, but soon they were playfully arguing and laughing and generally, just enjoying themselves.

A great crack sounded from behind them and the three Tamers whirled around to see what had happened. Sliding into the meadow in a cloud full of dust was a tall Digimon that greatly resembled what Judi recalled as a centaur from Greek mythology.

The Digimon was built with the body of a horse but covered with sheep's wool and had a long elongated torso that resembled a sheep-man. It had two long, purple horns protruding from her head and long arms that dragged down to her knees.

Immediately, their Digivices started beeping, but only Judi had the guts to move and check what it said.

"Pajiramon, Ultimate level Digimon. One of the twelve Devas, she serves the Sovereign, Zhuqiaomon."

Terriermon, DemiVeemon and Patamon were on guard instantly. They placed themselves expertly between their Tamer and Pajiramon, watching the Sheep Deva anxiously.

"Tamers," she hissed, her voice icy and cool. "I should have known; Zhuqiaomon predicted it."

"What do you want?" Terriermon asked gruffly. "Stop beating around the bush."

"The Sovereigns have come to an agreement, little one," the sheep growled. "The Tamers must die. Their fates are written into an ancient prophecy that must not come true. The Olympians shall shape the Digital World and then destroy it, and only my Master and the other Sovereigns shall be able to save it."

"Well, I guess you'll just have to wait till the next set of Tamers, cause these ones aren't going anywhere!" DemiVeemon exclaimed. "Pop Attack!" The little blue Digimon launched himself at Pajiramon, only to bounce off harmlessly. The Deva laughed.

"Foolish Digimon," she said. "You are but a baby. How do you expect to defeat me?"

"I don't know what he was expecting," Terriermon said calmly. "But I know what I am. Bunny Blast!" A large blast of air pelted against Pajiramon, causing only a little more damage than DemiVeemon's attack.

"Boom Bubble!" Patamon's attack, much like Terriermon's, was simply a large amount of air that caused little to no damage on the Ultimate level Digimon.

"Liam, you have to help me Digivolve," DemiVeemon ordered as Judi and Jarred's Digimon continued to wear down Pajiramon with their hot air attacks. "I'll explain everything to you later once we get out of this mess."

Judi wasn't too confident that they _would _make it out of their current situation, but she watched Liam solemnly agree. "Just tell me what I need to do," he said.

"You need to believe it," DemiVeemon ordered. "You need to believe that we can win this if you let me Digivolve. You have to feel our connection."

Judi had no idea how that worked, but Liam closed his eyes anyway. He slowed his breathing, muttering slightly under his breath and gripping his dark blue Digivice tightly.

The light Judi had seen when she had been whisked away from her home and brought to the Digital World burst from Liam's Digivice. The same light engulfed DemiVeemon, swirling bits of digital code dancing around the blob of light.

"DemiVeemon Digivolve to… Veemon!"

When the light flickered away, DemiVeemon had been replaced by an older and larger version of himself. He was still a blue dinosaur-like Digimon, but taller with a more mature face.

"Liam, you did it!" he exclaimed, his voice jubilant. "We can _so_ take that over-grown sheep now! Vee-Headbutt!"

The newly evolved Digimon turned on his heel before charging quickly towards Pajiramon, who had just fended off a green tornado, who happened to be Terriermon. Surprisingly, the force of Veemon's attack pushed the Ultimate-level Digimon backwards, giving the Tamers and their Digimon new hope.

"Boom Bubble!" Patamon shouted, releasing another blast of air that battered the sheep Digimon's face. It spluttered blindly as Veemon head-butted it again.

"Terrier Tornado!" A green whirl shot past the Tamers and bashed into Pajiramon.

Judi couldn't believe it. They were actually defeating this monster that wanted to kill them. She could tell it was obviously more powerful than their own Digimon, especially when it attacked them back. Pajiramon was able to send their Digimon flying back into the trees with one sweep of her arm, but the little ones were persistent. Finally, they managed to corner the Deva against a large oak tree.

"Foolish ones," she snarled. "Daring to disobey the Sovereigns. However, things will change. When the Olympians destroy you, peace shall be restored and my Master will rest well." Then, with a tremendous battle cry, she disappeared in a flash of red and gold light.

The Tamers and their Digimon stood still for a moment, resting and taking in what Pajiramon had told them.

"So, does this mean we have to deal with those Deva's too?" Liam asked before they began their journey back to Primary Village in silence.

[Heroes]

When they finally made it back to the village they headed straight towards Terriermon and the newly evolved Veemon's house because that's where Judi had left her computer and they were supposed to call Morgan and Seger in an hour.

"What was all that about?" Liam demanded, once they were safely inside the house. Judi scurried of to retrieve her laptop and search for an internet connection, but Veemon only shrugged.

"I needed you to help me Digivolve. Without it, we could have been in real trouble back there," he told his Tamer, arms crossed defiantly over his white chest.

"But what is Digivolving?" Jarred asked as he rummaged in the fridge for something to eat. Terriermon bounded over to make sure he didn't take too much food; they would need some provisions for the next couple days and even more when they set out from Primary Village.

"It's simply the process of getting stronger," Patamon explained. "As we grow stronger we Digivolve to different forms that allow us to use that power."

"So why did DemiVeemon Digivolve and none of you did?" Judi asked as she trudged back into the room, the power cord for her computer dangling from her arms. She set everything onto the table and then glanced up, waiting for an explanation.

"I guess you could say that when we Digivolve, we have ranks," Patamon said as he landed precariously on Jarred's head. "Terriermon, Veemon and I are what are known as Rookie Digimon."

"And my Digivice said Pajiramon was an Ultimate Digimon," Judi remembered.

"Right," Patamon said. "Pajiramon is way stronger than we are and we mostly lucked out in that battle. If DemiVeemon hadn't Digivolved to Veemon, we would have been in a lot more trouble than we were in."

"Wait," Liam said suddenly. "Why was Veemon still at a lower rank than you guys? I mean, now he's your equal, right?"

The Digimon nodded. "Veemon just hatched recently," Terriermon added. "He's progressing quite well. It would have been another few months before he Digivolved on his own to a Rookie."

The terms were confusing Judi, making her head spin, and she was happy when Liam announced it was time to check in with their friends back in the real world.

Judi got her laptop up and running and quickly brought up the messenger. To her delight, Morgan was logged on and as soon as everything was done loading, she brought up a video conversation.

The screen was black for a moment before Seger appeared on the screen. He glanced over his shoulder once before smiling at Judi.

"Hey Judi, Liam..." his voice trailed off as he saw the figure standing in the background. "J-j-jarred?" he stuttered.

His brother bounced up towards the screen and squeezed his head between Judi's and Liam's fighting for a spot on the webcam.

"Hey, little brother!" Jarred chimed. Judi could see the forced happiness that hid the sadness in Jarred's voice. She knew the feeling only too well.

Tears pricked at the corners of Seger's bright blue eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. "Thank God you're okay," he muttered. "I thought..." he trailed off again, clearly not wanting to continue.

Suddenly, another face appeared on the screen and Judi found herself facing the very last person she wanted to see. Sarah Johansson, the reason she and Seger had been in the fight in the first place, was staring back at her.

"Erm, hi, Sarah," Judi mumbled, shoving Terriermon out of sight. What was she doing at her house, much less with Seger and Morgan, who's Digivices could go off at any moment?

"Don't worry," Morgan said, sounding more at ease than Seger had. "She has a Digimon too. They all hatched and Digivolved today."

"That was fast," Veemon grumbled. "It took me forever to Digivolve."

Judi could now see the group of Digimon on the desk in front of them. She had been a little preoccupied before to even notice them, but now she could see them clearly.

The one seated in front of Morgan was a strange, yellow Digimon with pointed ears and a grin that reminded Judi of a cat they had had when they lived back east. Its long tail was almost as long as its body and had purple stripes encircling it.

The one in the middle, poised in front of Sarah, had a rough pink outline, almost as if it were a puff-ball made of feathers. It had a sharp beak that clacked annoyingly and a large coloured feather protruding from the back of its head.

The final Digimon, in front of Seger, was a strange white blob with a Mohawk. It was slightly angelic looking, but the mischievous look in his eyes told otherwise.

Morgan must have caught his friends on the other line staring at the Digimon because he cleared his throat and said, "Oh, right. Guys, these are our Digimon from your left to right: Nyaromon, Poromon and Puttimon."

"They're all at the In-Training stage," Terriermon whispered, hinting back to the conversation they had had before starting the video call. "They're all at the stage DemiVeemon was before he Digivolved."

The three Tamers in the Digital World nodded.

"So, what's happened so far?" Liam asked. "Besides the obvious fact that you guys now have Digimon since we last saw you."

A crooked grin adorned Seger's face as he explained how their Digimon had Digivolved in school, resulting in the finding of Sarah.

"What about you?" he asked when he was done. "What's been going on in your world of digital coding?"

There was a brief pause where the six on Judi's side of the screen exchanged glances. Should they bother with freaking Morgan out and probably getting Sarah really paranoid?

"They need to know," Terriermon decided finally. "There's a strong possibility more Devas will be bio-emerging into their world. They know we're here so the prophecy will be coming true. They'll be heading to their side soon enough."

Judi nodded. Though she hated knowing that her brother would be extremely worried, she knew that they had to know. It was probably a matter of life and death.

By now, Morgan, Seger and Sarah were looking quite distraught. They knew that whatever news that was coming their way would not be good.

"Well," Judi started. "It kind of started with a foot race..."


	5. V For the Nights I Can't Remember

**I'm kind of disappointed by the fact that this story is on so many peoples' alert lists but no one has left any reviews. Is it too much to ask for a note on how you love/hate the story? If I'm not going to get any feedback I may as well stop updating here (that was an empty threat, but still). Come on guys, I'd love to hear what you think. Trust me, I know who you are.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the song For the Nights I Can't Remember, which was used as a title for this song.

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**For The Nights I Can't Remember**

The stories from the previous night's video call left Seger tossing and turning in his bed for hours. Sarah had left not too long after the call, promising she'd see Seger at school the next day and that she'd drop by later on. Then, Seger and Morgan had left for the Davis apartment next door.

Puttimon and Nyaromon were sleeping in an old cat carrier that Morgan had found in the hall closet of his apartment. The Gretzinger's had used it when they had had a cat, but that had been before they had moved out to Vancouver. Why they still kept it, he didn't know.

"You never know when you'll have another cat," he thought he recalled Judi telling him once. It made sense, he supposed, but the carrier had only taken up space in the closet before then.

Now it was housing two foreign creatures made of digital data.

There were definitely certain parts to the conversation that Seger remembered. There was the part where Judi had told the horrific tale of them almost getting crushed by a larger and stronger Digimon than there's. There was the story of Minervamon and almost getting caught on the first day ("You never told me that!" Morgan had exclaimed when he heard). But the thing that stuck out most in Seger's mind was that one line Terriermon had uttered to Judi:

"They need to know. There's a strong possibility more Devas will be bio-emerging into their world. They know we're here so the prophecy will be coming true."

There was an entire prophecy built around them, and now they had just set the city of Vancouver in danger. With Digimon like the ones that Judi and Jarred had described, the city would be in an uproar. They'd call in the military and then, things would start to get ugly.

_All because of me, _Seger thought sullenly. Why did he have to get picked for this job? Couldn't it have been someone else, in another time or place?

But he supposed not. After all, his father did constantly tell him, "It's now or never."

[Heroes]

It was sometime later, perhaps a few hours, when Seger awoke again. He couldn't figure out why, but it didn't really matter. His eyes had snapped open in the dark and it seemed like there was something he should be doing at the moment, but he couldn't figure out what.

The skier slid out of bed, his feet padding across the carpeted floor of his room and out into the hallway. The house was quiet. There were no sounds from Jarred's room where Morgan was sleeping and the Digimon hadn't woken when he had left his room. Besides the heater, there was no sound in the apartment.

The room was stuffy and warm and Seger could barely stand it. He felt wide awake and couldn't stand being in the apartment for another minute. Quietly, he slid on his skate shoes, threw on a track jacket and stepped outside.

Despite it being winter, the weather in Vancouver was mild. Rain dripped from the upstairs walkway and Seger found himself following small water droplets until they hit the ground four stories below.

Seger was sure he could have found himself standing against the railing all night, but something else caught his eye. It was a flickering light in the park across the street from the complex. Curiosity getting the better of him, he headed towards the elevators for the ground floor.

Looking back on it, Seger figured that he couldn't have done things stupider. He hadn't told Morgan and he hadn't even taken Puttimon, though what good the small Digimon would do against the possibility of a gun, Seger didn't know.

At ground level, the smell of fresh rain was stronger than it had been above, and now that he was standing on solid ground, Seger swore he could smell the faint odour of pomegranates.

The flickering light caught his eye again and he raced across the street and into the grove of trees forming the entrance to the park.

Beyond that was the large field with the baseball diamond and a small playground for children. At the top of the slide stood a teenage girl, probably a high school senior by the looks of it, with a large flashlight. She had pale blonde hair tied back in a ponytail and a red t-shirt with a soccer ball splashed across the front. As he stepped closer, Seger realized it was Haleigh Campbell, the girl Jarred had secretly been crushing on since grade school.

Upon hearing him approach, Haleigh turned her head in his direction. "Hello, Seger," she said softly.

Seger was startled. How did she know him? It wasn't like he knew Haleigh in person, only by the reputation that preceded her. She was easily the best female soccer player in their end of town and there were rumours flying that she was receiving a soccer scholarship.

"Er, hi, Haleigh," Seger managed, realizing he had simply been ogling at her for a minute. He blushed and was thankful for the cover of darkness.

"How are you?"

The questions, the conversation, left Seger unbalanced and wary. What should he say back to her?

"Not too bad, I guess," he replied truthfully. "You?"

"Oh, not too bad myself," she replied with a smile. "How are you and Morgan faring?"

"Better," Seger replied with a shrug. "Better than we thought."

Haleigh nodded solemnly, her eyes never straying from Seger's long and lanky frame. "And your Digimon?" she asked casually.

"They're- Wait. What?"

He had caught himself at the last minute. With a look of confusion that was real enough plastered to his face, Seger was sure he could pull off the faking. How did Haleigh know about the Digimon? Terriermon had said that there would be three on each side of the computer screen and they were up to their grand total of six. Unless Haleigh had managed to see Puttimon and Poromon at school the other day, she wouldn't know.

"Oh, don't look so surprised," Haleigh said. "I know all about your little digital pets, and don't worry, I'm not here to take them away."

A look of relief must have crossed Seger's face, because Haleigh smiled a dazzling smile that seemed to light up the world around her.

"But seriously, Seger, how are they?" she pressed.

"They're alright, I guess," Seger replied, honestly. "I guess they're just excited to be here, but I don't know why. Do you have a Digimon too?"

Haleigh pursed her lips. "I do have a Digimon, though she's not with me at the moment. Anyway, your Digimon are here to help you in the aid of the prophecy," she said. "You must join sides, take up the fight and help the Olympians win."

"Win what?" Seger asked, confused at where the conversation was going.

"Simple," Haleigh replied. "The war."

[Heroes]

"The Olympic Flame was stolen from the top of Mount Olympus," Haleigh instructed carefully. "The Olympians have been at war for a little over two years now but to no avail. It was once foretold that six Tamers and their Digimon would help in the end of the war."

Seger stared at her, his mind whirling. "That means that you're not a Tamer," he said slowly, adding up the people. "But you said you had a Digimon."

"That's not important now," Haleigh snapped. "What's important is that you side with the right people. You don't want to be fighting against your friends in the Digital World, do you?"

Seger shook his head and the high school senior smiled. "Good," she continued. "When the time is right –and you'll know when that is- you must side with the Olympian taking after Zeus, who is Jupitermon. Your friends will no doubt side with him too. After all, he is the leader."

That dazzling smile of Haleigh's and the fresh smell of pomegranates was intoxicating and Seger could only nod.

"Good boy," Haleigh cooed. "Now head on back to bed before Morgan finds out you're not there. I'll be seeing you later, Seger."

The next thing Seger remembered was waking up in the morning, no recollection of anything except for the fact that Jupitermon was the Olympian to side with.

[Heroes]

For reasons Seger couldn't remember, he was tired for most of the day. He almost fell asleep in world history twice, though a few people couldn't blame him; Mr. Izzo was definitely the most boring teacher to listen to. When the bell rang for the end of the day, Seger left quickly with the others, making his way towards his locker.

Puttimon was waiting quietly for them, but whether that was do to the large amount of duct tape plastered across his mouth or because Seger had threatened to throw him on the streets the night before, the skier didn't know. He shoved the rest of his books in his backpack before adding the squirming Digimon on top and heading off towards Sarah's locker.

The girl in question was just adding the finishing touch-ups to her make-up when Seger arrived. She saw him coming in the mirror hanging in her locker before swinging the door closed and turning to meet him. "Hey," she said in greeting, and Seger smiled in return.

"Hey," he replied. "Morgan said he'd pick us up and we can hang at my place until Judi, Jarred and Liam call again." The other Tamer nodded before the two of them headed outside.

Not being too late after school (only about ten minutes, really), both Seger and Sarah were surprised to find a lack of students waiting for rides home. In fact, it was almost like they had just disappeared with the snap of someone's fingers.

"So..." Seger said, trying to start a conversation. How did he get one started with Judi? It was never as hard as this. Maybe it was the fact that he knew that Sarah liked him. Or maybe it was the fact that in two days he'd have a ski race, regardless of what was going on in Vancouver. Or maybe it was the fact that Judi and Jarred weren't even on planet earth.

It wasn't too long before Morgan's green Volkswagen pulled into the lot. Apparently, Morgan was also equally confused about the lack of students, for when he pulled up in front of Seger and Sarah, his face was screwed up like his was concentrating hard.

"What happened to everybody?" he asked, looking around. Seger and Sarah could only shrug as the older boy eased his foot onto the gas pedal, but nothing happened. Angrily, he turned at the key in the ignition, but it was stuck. Something obviously wasn't right.

Sarah huddled in the back of the car, letting Poromon out of her bag. The little Digimon hopped around in the back seat as she waited for Puttimon to join her, and when they were both together they had only to glance at each other before they confirmed Seger's suspicions.

"There's a Digimon near by," Poromon squeaked. "He's strong too... I can feel it."

This definitely put everyone on guard and it was only then that Seger noticed a thick fog rolling in and surrounding the school. There had been no call for fog on the morning forecast, which meant only one thing...

The sound of crashing sounded from behind them, as if something had just smashed its way through the front window, of the school and indeed it had. The Digimon approaching their little car was larger than life, at least ten feet tall and horse-like, though it stood on two feet. It lumbered towards them, its eyes hidden beneath a mass of white hair.

Immediately, the three Digivices in the car went off, and each Tamer reached for theirs.

"Indramon, Ultimate level Digimon. One of the twelve Devas, he serves under the Sovereign, Zhuqiaomon."

"Oh my gosh," Sarah moaned. "What are we going to do?"

Morgan, who had been frantically trying to start the car again, turned around in his seat.

"Get out of the car," he said, glaring at Seger and Sarah. "Seriously. Our best bet is to get away on foot."

Seger knew this was probably highly unlikely. How were they supposed to run from something that could catch them in one stride? Still, he eased his door open and allowed Sarah and Morgan to follow out after him with their Digimon in tow.

"How do we beat it?" Sarah squeaked as they backed away from the vehicle. They watched Indramon sniff the Volkswagen suspiciously before crushing it flat like a pancake.

"Judi's going to kill me," Morgan muttered.

"You have to let us Digivolve!" Puttimon commanded. "It's the only way we'll have any hope of defeating this thing."

"And do you mind telling us how that works?" Morgan hissed back. "If you haven't noticed, we're not exactly Digimon experts yet."

"You have to have faith in yourself and each other," Poromon squeaked. "We'll use that to Digivolve along with the use of your Digivices."

Though Seger had no idea what the Digimon were talking about, they were running out of time. They couldn't back up forever so they had to take Indramon on head first.

"All right," he said, grabbing hold of his Digivice and closing both hands around it. He motioned for the others to do the same and then he sent up a silent prayer.

_Please let Puttimon Digivolve, _he thought. _I don't want to die. I believe that he can do this; I believe the others can do this. Come on..._

Poromon was the first to change. Just like at the school the other day, it began to glow ominously. Swirling pieces of digital code surrounded the bird-like Digimon and the Tamers paused to watch its glowing form change shape.

"Poromon Digivolve to... Biyomon!"

The change from Poromon was a lot more drastic than anyone had anticipated. Upon evolving, Biyomon had grown at least two feet taller and her feathers had darkened from a pastel pink to a brighter and more vibrant shade. The feathers adorning her head were tipped with blue and the legs that had sprouted from the bottom of her body were bird-like, adding to the image. Sharp claws ended her wing tips, though it was apparent that she could now fly.

However, the evolution had attracted Indromon's attention to. It swung towards their direction and the Tamers inched away, moving around the empty parking lot.

"Can this thing not see us?" Morgan whispered. They had momentarily put off evolving Puttimon and Nyaromon for fear of attracting more attention.

Nyaromon shook its body, the equivalent to shaking its head. "It has very poor eyesight but excellent smell and hearing. It also seems to have the ability to be attracted towards energy, which isn't going to help us in our Digivolution processes."

"We have to keep trying," Seger insisted. If Puttimon and Nyaromon Digivolved to be the same size as Biyomon, they could actually have a chance.

"Alright," Nyaromon warned. "Just be ready to move out of the way after."

Morgan and Seger nodded before closing their eyes and concentrating. They had to pour their heart and soul into this or else they would be doomed. Sarah was praying too; they needed all the help they could get.

The bright light that signalled another Digivolution snapped each of the Tamers' eyes open. Nyaromon had been engulfed in a large mass of light and digital code and Seger sensed Morgan letting out a sigh of relief.

"Nyaromon Digivolve to... Salamon!"

Despite being more cat-like as Nyaromon, the newly evolved Salamon was more dog-like and almost as small. It was pure white, almost holy looking, with large blue eyes and rosy pink cheeks. Its floppy ears hung against the side of its head. The golden holy ring around her neck gleamed in the after-glow of the silvery light that had transformed her and her paws padded anxiously against the ground.

"Two down, one to go," Sarah muttered as they scurried out of the way of a charging Indramon. Apparently the power of Salamon's Digivolution had given off more power than Biyomon's.

Making sure that they were out of harms way, the Tamers bowed their heads again.

_Why won't you Digivolve? _Seger thought anxiously. _I need you to Digivolve, Puttimon. Without your help we'll end up just like Morgan's car. Come on... come on..._

The final blast of light almost made Seger shout for joy, but he refrained himself, remembering what Salamon had said about Indramon's sense of hearing.

"Puttimon Digivolve to... PawnChessmon!"

As the light and the coding faded away, Seger's eyes fell upon a Digimon that looked nothing like Puttimon at all.

An armoured figure stood before them, gleaming in white, gold and grey. A visor covered his facial features as the rest of the armour covered his whole body; not an inch of flesh was exposed. A shield was attached to his back while one of his hands gripped a medieval lance tightly.

"Excellent," Biyomon chimed as they dodged Indramon's latest charge. "We're ready to rock and roll!"

Seger nodded meekly before looking back at their opponent. Salamon's size worried him and the armour on PawnChessmon could limit his mobility. He didn't know how good of a defence system Biyomon had because really, she was just a bird.

"You dare defy me?" the horse-Digimon roared, the first words they had hear him say. "You cannot hope to defeat one as powerful as I! Horn of Desolation!"

A piercing sound filled the parking lot and the Tamers collapsed with their Digimon, their hands covering their ears as they tried to block out the horrible screeching. It was then that Indramon brought one of its large arms down hard, just narrowly missing Salamon.

"Spiral Twister!" Biyomon was back on her feet first and took to the sky, aiming for Indramon's face. It let loose a twirling mass of green energy that knocked the larger Digimon back a step.

Following Biyomon's example, PawnChessmon was the next to let loose an attack. "Pawn Buckler!" he cried, tossing his shield at Indramon with precision. It hit the giant horse in the stomach, causing him to double over, before returning to PawnChessmon who clumsily dropped the shield before retrieving it.

"Petit Punch!" Salamon cried, using one of her paws to punch Indramon in the leg. Unlike the other attacks however, Salamon's did barely any damage.

"A group of rookies will not take me down!" Indramon roared.

However unlikely it seemed though, the battle with Indramon turned out to be much like the one that Judi had told Seger about the previous night. Indramon's attacks were strong, but as Biyomon, PawnChessmon and Salamon persisted, the ultimate-level Digimon fell back against their attacks. Finally, they hovered above him as he lay on the ground.

"Defying the Sovereigns will cost you greatly," the Digimon rumbled as it sat up. "When everything is destroyed we will reign again and you will be nothing. Not even the power of the Chosen Ones will defeat us." Before anyone could attack again, Indramon was gone, vanishing in a fiery blast of red and gold light. Slowly, the fog began to disappear and the sun shone brightly on the battlefield of destruction left over from Seger, Morgan and Sarah's first battle.


	6. VI Don't Talk to Strangers

**Here's the newest chapter. I want to thank Chocolate Lightning for leaving a review last chapter, but I'd still love to hear from the rest of you. If any of you have read ahead in the story on serebiiforums, chapter ten can be viewed there as it was updated today.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the song Don't Talk to Strangers for which this chapter was titled after.

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They left the next morning.

Terriermon and the other Digimon almost insisted upon it. They couldn't put Primary Village in jeopardy any longer now that the Devas knew about Judi, Liam and Jarred. They would just have to start their plan a little earlier than anticipated.

The idea to wait outside Mount Olympus for the Olympians had been Judi's idea. What better way to catch them separated than right outside their home? They had figured they would wait a couple of days in the village, but after the attack they were going to have to move a lot quicker than before.

Now, somewhere across a wide field that stretched on past the horizon on all sides, the Tamers and their Digimon officially deemed themselves lost.

"I thought you said you knew where we were going," Veemon complained, turning to Terriermon. "I knew we should have taken that turn at that tree back there."

"Oh yeah, like you could have directed us much better," Terriermon shot back. "I don't see you scouting ahead for danger."

"And I don't see you foraging for food. If you haven't noticed, we failed to bring your kitchen fridge with us on our journey."

Terriermon was about to retaliate when Patamon swooped in, intercepting. "Guys, enough," the orange and white flying pig Digimon said. "It's no use fighting. We might as well just stay here and look for things to eat."

"If you haven't noticed, we're sort of in the middle of nowhere," Veemon said. "We're sitting ducks."

"The grass is taller a little farther west," Patamon announced. "It will be easier to hide there."

Before the Digimon could start arguing again, Liam cut in. "That sounds like a great idea," he said. "We can rest there and catch our bearings again in the morning. We can take time to explore tonight and figure out our best route to Mount Olympus."

The others nodded solemnly, each obviously angry and frustrated from hours of walking and being out in the sun. Judi sighed. If she had known that everyone would be getting on each other's nerves at this point so early in their travels, she wasn't sure she would have agreed to join. But she had to. They had to save this world from mass destruction, which just made the frustration all the more irritating.

The grass was a cool change to the sun that had been beating down on them for hours. The Tamers collapsed each shading their eyes and glancing around desperately for water.

"I feel like I'm about to die," Jarred mumbled as he searched through his backpack for any source of liquid that he could drink.

Judi couldn't even reply. Her mouth felt parched and her tongue felt as heavy as a pound of lead. If this was what it was going to be like for the rest of their journey, how were they expected to survive?

Even the Digimon looked exhausted. They had hunkered down in the shadows of their Tamers, panting and mumbling incoherently to each other.

"I'm right there with you, buddy," Liam replied. "Does anyone have any water left?"

Everyone shook their heads, and Judi groaned and rolled over onto her stomach. Her head was pounding. Maybe resting for a little while would do the trick. The last thing she remembered were Jarred and Liam racing over to her, trying to get her to stay awake while Patamon flew off in search of help.

[Heroes]

Judi shivered in her sleep. Her eyes opened slowly, allowing herself to gaze at overcast skies that were quickly become dark with grey storm clouds. Lighting flashed and somewhere far away, thunder rumbled.

Her body ached all over in the same way it did when she did three hours of skating and then two hours of off-ice. Cautiously, Judi sat up and surveyed her surroundings.

She wasn't in the field anymore.

Panic flowed through her as she gazed at the environment. The ground was rocky, hardly any grass, but it appeared that she was lying on paved stone. Judi's eyes followed the path they made, pausing as they upon a monument that looked very familiar.

It was like the Parthenon of Ancient Greece, though it was fully restored like the one in Texas. Lighting flashed again, illuminating it and allowing Judi a quick glimpse of a lavish inside before the light flickered away and thunder rumbled, much closer this time. And then the rain began to fall.

There was no other shelter around and out of desperation, Judi hauled herself off the ground and dashed towards the only building in sight. It wasn't like she was going to wander in too far. She just wanted to get out of the rain. Getting hypothermia now wasn't going to help her at all.

Despite not wanting to initially wander in that far, one glimpse was enough to beckon Judi in closer. The inside of the Parthenon was basked in a golden glow, though the source could not be found. Beautifully crafted furniture sat around a small fire, giving Judi the impression that it was a sort of waiting room. Just beyond the chairs and loveseats however, she could see a door. If she knew her Greek history well enough, Judi concluded she was in the anti-chamber of the Parthenon.

The storm raged on outside and Judi stumbled over to one of the chairs. Instinct told her that trying to enter the room beyond the door could lead to trouble, but curiosity burned fiercely inside her. Beyond the door there could be the secret to the Tamers' success.

Luckily, she didn't have to wait long.

Just as her clothes were beginning to dry out, Judi heard an ominous creak. She whirled around, her hand instinctively going for her Digivice, but the appearance of the figure in front of her surprised her.

It was Ben O'Brien, a kid that was in Judi's homeroom, known for his trickery and mischief making skills.

She was so shocked to see him it didn't even register in her brain that he was a human, that she could try and take him out right then and there.

His sandy coloured hair lay flat across his head and his kind blue eyes twinkled in the firelight. "Judi," he said. "So glad you could make it. That's one brutal storm out there, eh?"

"I, um..." She was lost for words. What was she going to say to this kid she barely knew while she hid inside the Parthenon, away from the storm?

"Don't worry," Ben said serenely. "You're safe in here, but let's have a little talk. No, don't get up."

Judi sank down onto her seat again, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. This had to be a dream. There was no way that she could be on Mount Olympus. They had been in a field, with the sun beating down on them and no chance of rain. There hadn't been a mountain around for miles.

"What's this about?" Judi asked, finally finding her voice. "How did I get here? Where is here? What are _you_ doing here?"

Ben laughed, a hollow and empty sound that reverberated off the walls. "A war is raging, Judi. Or it's about to."

"What's that supposed to mean," the skater retorted, though she knew perfectly well what it meant. A war?

"You Tamers are the key to the end of the war," Ben continued. "We need your help. Together, we can make sure that something like this never happens again."

"How long has this been going on?" Judi asked. Terriermon had never told her about the war, so it must have been something fairly recent. Speaking of which, where was Terriermon? And the others, for that matter. Why were they not here, but she was?

"It's not a current event, Judi," Ben warned. "This war has been raging for over fifty years."

_Fifty years? _Judi thought. "But wouldn't Digimon know about it? I haven't heard anything about it."

"It's a quiet thing," the boy replied. "Nothing full scale. It's mostly just arguing, but arguing always leads somewhere and I'm sure Marsmon is just itching to get this thing out in the open."

"Then what are you fighting about?" Judi countered. "It must be something bad if it's lasted fifty years."

Ben sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He cast his eyes downward into the fire, watching the flames dance and lick at each other. "It used to just be about ruling and the realms and such," he said quietly. "But now, something has been stolen."

"Stolen?" Judi's voice was dry, choked almost. Something had been stolen from the Olympians, which meant it must have almost infinite value. "What was it?"

That cocky grin appeared on Ben's face again. "All in good time, Judi," he replied. "But you need to know that you and your friends back in the field will need to side with Neptunemon when the time comes." Ben stood abruptly, his eyes lingering back to the fire.

"But wait," Judi said, standing with him. "How do I get back? I don't even know where I am!"

"It's alright," Ben murmured, turning on his heel and marching towards the doors at the end of the anti-chamber. "Was Hermes not the god of travellers?" And then he was gone.

[Heroes]

A cold liquid trickled down the back of Judi's throat and she snapped her eyes open, choking. She coughed, but the sight of Liam and Jarred's worried faces instantly brought her back into focus. Where was the Parthenon? What had happened to Ben? Why wasn't she back in the field?

"Where am I?" she managed between coughs.

"We managed to find a small town not too far away from the edge of the field," Terriermon chimed as he hopped onto the bed and wrapped Judi in an embrace from his ears.

It was cloudy and overcast outside, a cross between the sunny day she had witnessed on their departure from Primary Village and the storm she had faced on Mount Olympus.

"How long have I been out?" Judi asked, suddenly suspicious. Neither of the boys would meet her eyes and even Terriermon wouldn't answer her question.

"A couple days," Jarred said finally. "That field we crossed basically stretched on forever. We're surprised we even made it to the other side."

_But that dream, it could have only taken half an hour. How could something like that stretch on for so long? _But Judi remembered what Ben had said to her, about Hermes being the god of travellers. Perhaps it was his Digital equivalent that had helped them? She'd have to ponder that later, when there weren't so many other things to prioritize.

"So, are we closer to Mount Olympus?" Judi asked, breaking the silence of the awkward answer. "Or do we even know where we're going?"

"We're trying to figure that out," Veemon said, his head popping up on the edge of the bed. "A few locals say that it's north east of this town."

"We can head out tomorrow, after Judi's rested and we've stocked up," Patamon added, swooping in through the doorway that Judi just noticed. By the looks of it, it led into a busy kitchen where people were chopping vegetables and such.

"Are we in a restaurant?" she asked, inhaling deeply and allowing the smell of teriyaki rice bowls fill her nostrils.

"Yeah. It was the only place that would give us lodging," Jarred replied sheepishly. "I mean, considering we don't have much money, we volunteered to wash their dishes and everything if they'd let us stay here and tend to you."

Judi's face burned a little. It was a little embarrassing to just show up outside someone's business and ask to stay until one of their travelling companions gained consciousness again. If she ever met Ben O'Brien again, she'd definitely ask about that whole travelling method.

"Have you paid it all off yet?" Judi asked as she swung her feet over the side of the bed. She stood uncertainly, but when she was sure that she was feeling alright, pushed her feet into a pair of shoes and tied her hair up in a ponytail.

"Judi, you don't need to do any work," Jarred said, but Judi held up her hand in protest.

"I'm the reason we're here," she said. "And perhaps we can gain more information about Mount Olympus."

[Heroes]

Once, in order to pay off a new set of skates, Judi had gotten a job working at the prestigious restaurant _Lumiere _(back when Rob Feenie was still the owner) as a dishwasher. She had been good at her job and even stayed on a while after earning enough money for her skates. Eventually, she quit because she didn't have the time to work anymore, but the experience had stayed with her.

Now, as Judi washed dishes in soapy water up to her elbows, she remembered how much she hadn't actually enjoyed the job, but more the people she worked with. Back at _Lumiere_, people had been friendly. The Digimon she and Liam were working with now were far from that.

"Have you tried asking any of them about our point of interest?" Judi asked as she scrubbed a plate clean and handed it to Liam. The boy shook his head in response.

"We've sort of left that to the Digimon. They say it would be suspicious having us ask. It's weird enough having three humans here because everyone knows about the prophecy." He passed the dried plate to a passing floral Digimon who stacked it neatly with the others.

But Judi needed answers. She had seen Mount Olympus, hid inside their layer and talked with an Olympian himself. If she could piece together how to get there, there could be hope for them.

The next opportunity that came up was when Judi was dumping the garbage out in the large bin behind the restaurant. She held her breath as she opened the dumpster, letting fly-like Digimon burst from within as she dumped that day's trash inside. Hastily, she shut the bin's lid and backed away from it. That's when she noticed she wasn't alone.

A stooped figure stood at the other end of the alley. He had a pointed hat and a cape, but had his back turned towards Judi. Still, he looked human-like, so Judi figured he must be somewhat intelligent. Some of the Digimon she had met so far inside the kitchen were highly dimwitted and shouldn't be allowed to handle sharp knives.

"Excuse me," Judi said politely, setting her garbage pail down beside the door that led back into the kitchen. "You look like someone who could help me."

The figure turned, showing off blazing green eyes. The rest of his face was hidden behind his dark navy cloak, which was pulled up high. In one hand he clutched a sceptre, the shining sun attached to the end while the other gripped something tightly between the gloved fingers.

He pointed his sceptre at Judi and said, "Step no closer, Tamer."

Judi raised her hands in surrender. "Look, I don't want to hurt you," she said sternly. "I just want to ask you a question... about Mount Olympus."

Something flashed within the Digimon's eyes, unrecognizable it was gone so fast. He eyed Judi before pulling a milk crate over and gesturing to a container opposite that used to hold Raman noodles. "Sit down then. Though I warn you, I don't have all day."

Happiness spread across Judi's features as she dusted her hands on her kitchen apron and settled herself down on the crate the Digimon recommended.

"I am Wizardmon," he introduced, "Watcher of the Sun."

"Um, I am Judi..." the skater replied, unsure of what to add to the end. However, she didn't have to.

"Dreamer of Olympus," Wizardmon replied. "I know."

Judi nodded excitedly. "Then maybe you know why we're sitting here in this back alley."

"You want to find your way to Olympus, young one?" the Digimon responded, pocketing the small object in the hand not occupied by the staff. "Your dreams have left you wondering?"

"Yes," came the breathless reply. The fragments of the dream were vivid in Judi's mind; the bright fire, the rich colours of the furniture, the awesome brilliance that the Parthenon seemed to bask in. Even the rain was fresh in her mind, the feeling of her wet clothes clinging to her mind as they had to her body.

"I cannot help you," Wizardmon said. Upon seeing Judi's distressed look, he continued. "What you seek is not for me to give. The path to Olympus is different for all those who travel upon it with only the final obstacle being the same. I can only offer you advice, and possibly guidance upon your journey, though there is a price to pay."

"I'll pay it," Judi said, barely hesitating.

Wizardmon cast her a sceptical look, as if he wasn't sure he could trust her. Judi couldn't blame him. Who was going to trust a stranger in a back alley, much less a human one of the prophecy? However, Wizardmon nodded.

"You must be careful with whom you make deals with," he said, reaching for his pocket again. "Some are not as forgiving as I." He dismissed Judi's confused look and pulled out a strange object, the one he had been clutching earlier.

It seemed to be an old fashioned spinning top, the kinds people used to spin with a piece of string wound tightly around the top and then pulling it. However, it sparkled with all the familiar colours of the antechamber at the Parthenon, and Judi could swear she could see the flaming brazier reflected in the deep red and golden colourings along the side.

"This is a Manteiopter," Wizardmon said, spinning the top very slowly between two spindly fingers. "Ask it questions and get answers in return. However, you must be pure enough to ask or else it will shatter in your hands, and you must be smart enough to decipher its answers. Break this Manteiopter, and you break the very fabric of the Digital World."

Judi gulped, but accepted the spinning top. She had promised Wizardmon to keep it safe, but the possibility of unravelling the material that constructed the world she resided in was a heavy weight to rest on her shoulders.

"Now," she said, getting back to business. "You said you would help me too. What can you offer now? What lies ahead of us on our journey?"

Though she could not see it due to the cloak, she knew Wizardmon was smiling. He rose from his seat on the milk crate, and tugged at the brim of his pointed hat. "That," he said as he twirled his sceptre in a circle, opening a large hole into time, "is why I gave you the Manteiopter."


	7. VII Hole

**Sorry for the delay. The rest of the chapters shall be uploaded today.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the song Hole, for which this chapter was titled after.

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With the battle with Indramon behind them, it seemed like things could actually go back to normal for a while. Or at least, that's what Seger thought. He had no idea that there would be so much trouble with just PawnChessmon.

"What are we going to do with you?" the skier mumbled as he ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair. "You're too big for my locker now, even though it is a full sized one."

"You could always leave me at home," the snow white Digimon offered. The personality within PawnChessmon was a lot different than that of Puttimon. Where the In-Training Digimon had been a life force of pure happy energy, PawnChessmon was very subdued and got right down to business, like a cavalryman preparing for battle.

Seger rolled his eyes. "Just because you're different now doesn't mean that I can't trust you alone here. Besides, with Biyomon and Salamon, I'm not sure it's safe to leave all three of you alone."

The two companions were back at the park where Seger had unknowingly talked to Haleigh. Seger was trying to teach PawnChessmon how to pass a soccer ball back and forth, but he might as well have been teaching a rock how to jump. His Digimon's legs were just obviously not built for kicking things. Still, with Morgan gone for an indoor soccer tournament and Sarah at a dance recital, their Sunday was shaping up to be rather boring.

PawnChessmon shrugged his shoulders, the metal of his armor clanging loudly against itself. "Well obviously Biyomon is just a ball of energy. You'd never be able to get her to calm down, and Salamon acts like a baby all the time, so I suppose you're right. We really are a not very trusty bunch of Digimon." He lined up his jousting spear with the soccer ball and swung at it like a golf ball. It sailed towards Seger who neatly caught it on his knees. Though he had never had time to do a lot of soccer with all his skiing Jarred had taught him a few essentials.

Now, in the middle of January it was nice to be able to play soccer outside. The grass was a little wet, but that was expected in Vancouver. It hardly ever stopped raining.

"Which leads back to the original question," Seger said with a sigh. "What are we going to do with you Digimon while we're at school?" Little did he know that that problem would be solved for him soon enough.

[Heroes]

Later that day, Seger figured that the fridge in the apartment looked rather empty. Had Morgan been refilling it, or had they been eating expired yogurt all this time? Turning queasy at the thought, he dug around the house until he found the grocery money and set off to the store with PawnChessmon in tow.

The idea of no disguise for the white knight Digimon had actually been Sarah's idea from a couple of days ago. "You could just tell people he's in costume," she offered. "Pretend he's your little brother."

"What if someone taps him on the shoulder? His armor is metal, not plastic, Sarah," Seger said.

"We'll get there when we get there," she had replied.

Now, there they were, boy and Digimon, walking down the street in broad day light. A few people were giving them odd looks, but so far no one had stopped them. They just continued on their way, almost forgetting that they had business meetings or deals to close.

"What are we doing, Cigar?" PawnChessmon asked, his voice sounding slightly muffled.

"It's Seger," the Tamer corrected. "How many times do I have to correct you?"

"Sorry," the Digimon replied. Looming ahead of them was a food mart where Seger hoped he could buy some frozen dinners and maybe some apples. They were also running out of things to drink too, considering that Vancouver tap water wasn't always the best.

They continued their shopping in silence, striding up and down the aisles and dropping things into their basket. They only had thirty-five dollars to spend on the food and therefore had to spend it wisely.

"That means no junk food," Seger sternly told his partner. "No chips or candy or soft drinks."

PawnChessmon sighed. It had been the only thing in the apartment for the past couple days and had become a staple part of their diets. Though highly unhealthy, it was easy to buy a large bag of chips for less than three dollars and manage to live off it for a day.

The two finished their shopping in no time, paying and then heading back out into the sunlight. It was a beautiful day, and Seger was glad for the freedom of the weekend. While his friends would be competing indoors, he would be able to spend all his time outside. He sighed contently, swinging the shopping bag to and fro between him and PawnChessmon.

"Seger," PawnChessmon said slowly, gazing at his partner expectantly for approval. When Seger looked back, the Digimon continued, "What happened to the sun? It's just... gone." His head tilted upwards and Seger's followed, gazing at the inky black sky. Swirling indigo clouds blotted out the sun and the air was chillier than when they had gone in. Seger wrapped his track jacket farther around himself and shivered. It hadn't been like this when they had gone in, and though Vancouver weather was known to change this had been the fastest. There hadn't even been too many clouds when they had gone into the super mart.

The two comrades hurried down the street, not wanting to get caught in the rain that was surely to follow with clouds like those above. The grocery bag bounced carelessly against Seger's legs as they wove and dashed through throngs of people, all heading off to things more important than noticing a boy and a knight in shining armor. It wasn't until they had rounded the corner that they heard the scream.

It was blood-curdling and Seger whirled around, his free hand going to his pocket where his Digivice was. Cautiously, he and PawnChessmon poked their heads around the wall of the building they had just rounded to see a middle-aged lady screaming and pointing to the heavens. And soon, she wasn't the only one.

Following their gaze, Seger craned his neck backwards to see what everyone was looking at. When he saw, he was astounded.

It was like the sky had opened up or something, for there was a great gash in the sky; a hole that had torn its way through the the clouds. Swirling streams of fractal code danced inside the opening of the hole, taunting Seger, and before he knew what he was doing, he was dragging PawnChessmon down the street, away from the scene.

"What are you doing?" the Digimon asked, his feet skidding along the ground as he attempted to halt his partner. However, years of training for ski racing had built up Seger's leg muscles and he tugged on PawnChessmon relentlessly. "Don't you want to stay and fight?"

"Strength in numbers," Seger muttered. "We've got to find Morgan and Sarah." As they hurried down the street many more people passed him, heading closer to the hole to take a better look at it. People were fishing out their phones from their pockets and purses, snapping pictures of the unusual phenomenon. It was the perfect opportunity.

The first car that Seger saw was a Toyota Prius. The owner had pulled into a parking spot on the side of the road and was just getting out. Though sickened at the thought, Seger knew what had to be done.

"PC," he said slowly, nodding his head towards the man. He couldn't see his Digimon's eyes, hidden beneath his visor, but he was sure they must have widened.

"Seger, are you sure?" he asked, fingering the end of his lance carefully. When Seger nodded, the Digimon sighed. "Pawn Buckler!" he cried, tossing his shield through the air. It hit the man in the legs, making him buckle upon impact.

The two partners wasted no time. They rushed forward and dove into the car, Seger dropping some money on the man's shirt. "I'm sorry," he gushed, snatching the keys from their victim and slamming the car door shut. "But this is an emergency. Maybe you'll thank me later." He jammed the start button ignition and sucked in a breath as the car hummed to life.

"Seger..." PawnChessmon said slowly. "Do you even know how to drive?"

"Nope," Seger replied as he carefully pulled out of the parking spot and jerkily sped down the road.

[Heroes]

It didn't take Seger too long to figure out driving. Through trial and error he found that hitting the brakes was too jerky, and that by easing off the gas pedal before reaching the stop light or stop sign made things look more natural; like the silver Toyta Prius heading down the road wasn't driven by a fourteen-year-old.

"Do you know where we're going?" PawnChessmon asked shakily as Seger turned onto Kingsway, which was looking quite busy. Police cars and television vans streaked past the two of them, not pausing to take a look at one of the lone cars escaping the scene of the crime. They were all too busy trying to reach their destination, for the hole was now so big it could be seen as far away as Stanley Park.

"Sarah told me the address of her dance studio in case we needed her," Seger said, gritting his teeth as he dug through one of his pockets and jerked the car a little with the remaining hand on the steering wheel. He had been excited that he would get his license in a couple of years, but after this experience, Seger wasn't sure he wanted to drive a car any time in the near future. Finally, he pulled a slightly crumpled and torn piece of paper from his pocket and tossed it at his Digimon, who caught it with fumbling fingers and began smoothing it out.

"Penticton Street and East Sixth Broadway," PawnChessmon read aloud. "Is that far from here?"

Seger watched as a street sign passed them as they tore through a green light. It had said Fraser Street, which meant they were steadily heading south. They would need to meet up with Nanaimo Street before they could head up to East Sixth Broadway again. "We need a map," he said, irritated. If they had been living in a smaller city, this wouldn't have been a problem. But Vancouver was just so big. They were going to have to get a map or a GPS before they kept going or else they would soon be lost and no help to anyone.

As Seger drove on down Kingsway, PawnChessmon began rooting around the nooks and crannies of the car for a map. He finally found one in the glove box and unfolded it, letting it stretch across his lap and the dashboard. There was silence in the car as they sped down the road as the Digimon checked for their location before he said, "What was the last street we just passed?"

"Knight Street," Seger said, grinning. It was a little ironic, really, considering that there was a knight in the car. "Do we have much farther to go?"

PawnChessmon pondered the map for a moment, his armor clad finger trailing along the road before glancing up and then dropping his gaze back to the map. "Yeah, quite a bit. I'd say, with this traffic, maybe another twenty minutes."

Seger groaned in frustration. It was going to take them forever to get to the dance studio; half of Vancouver could already be destroyed by whatever that hole could have spat out by now. He wished that Morgan and Sarah hadn't had things to this weekend.

He wished that Judi, Jarred and Liam were home.

Judi would know exactly what to do if she were with him. "We need to keep an eye on it," she would say. "Call the others and let them come to us." Seger didn't know why he hadn't followed Judi's voice in his head before, but it was too late now. Besides, that had been where the circumstances had been different. They didn't have time to wait for the others to come to him and PawnChessmon.

"Here," he said, tossing his phone at his Digimon and gripping the steering wheel tightly. He saw Findlay Street flash by and knew they were getting closer. "Call Sarah's phone and then Morgan's. It doesn't matter if you end up talking to them or their voice mail, tell them we're on our way."

It fell silent in the car again as PawnChessmon clumsily scrolled through Seger's contacts and called Sarah's number. The clouds that had been floating above them previously had decided to open up and pour on them and Seger fumbled for the windshield wipers, which began clearing the water that was blurring Seger's view of the road.

"Er, hello. This is PawnChessmon. This is Sarah? No wait, there's no answer. That means that this is Sarah's voice mail?" There was a long pause, as if PawnChessmon was waiting for someone to confirm this. "Well, I thought I should let you know on Seger's behalf that we are coming and will be there-" The phone flew from his hands as Seger stomped hastily on the break and turned left onto Nanaimo Street. The Digimon picked up the phone, yelled a hasty "good-bye" before glaring at his tamer.

"Next time, a little warning would be nice," he said icily, dropping the phone into the drink holder. One of his hands gripped tightly to the handle on the door while the other was clutching the strap of his seat belt.

"Well, sorry," Seger retorted, just as angry. "If someone had been paying a bit more attention to the map I wouldn't have had to just about get us killed."

"I was following your other instructions!" PawnChessmon cried out. "I'm only a simple knight. I cannot be expected to do everything at once."

Seger sighed. He knew PawnChessmon was right. It must have been the stress and frustration though, that was making Seger so crabby. Still, they drove on in silence, with the exception of PawnChessmon mumbling directions for Seger every once in a while when they would reach another street. It was still another fifteen minutes before they made it to the theatre, and by the looks of things, the recital was still in full swing.

"Great," Seger mumbled as the two leaped from the car and headed up the front steps of the theatre. "How are we supposed to get Sarah to notice us?" They stormed into the theatre and and looked around for the entrance to the hall where the performances were taking place. Judging from the mass of people that were milling about, it was just over to their left.

A prim looking lady was seated at the entrance, flipping through what looked like an autobiography of some famous person. Seger was about to wrench the door to the hall open when she slammed her book down on the table, causing most people around them to jump.

"What do you think you're doing?" she snapped at Seger, who let go of the door handle as if it had burst into flames.

"Er, entering the theatre?" Seger suggested, taking a step back.

"There is currently a performance on," the lady snarled. "When the particular set is finished the doors will be open and people will be allowed to enter and exit as they please."

Seger bit on the inside of his cheek. "And how long will that take?" he asked finally, catching the gaze of PawnChessmon who was hanging back at the edge of the crowd so as not to be too much of a distraction.

"Ten or fifteen minutes," the lady said. "Now if you could be patient like every other person here, you can be let in shortly."

Scowling like a child, Seger wove his way through the crowd and back to his Digimon. "At this rate that thing hovering over Expo Boulevard will have swallowed up half the city by the time we get Sarah out of here," Seger muttered, who had now taken to checking the time on his phone every ten seconds. It certainly wasn't making the time go any faster, and was making him and PawnChessmon increasingly nervous.

Finally, the sound of applause could be heard from inside the hall and the doors burst open, allowing a flood of people to exit and the crowd waiting outside to push their way through. On his way in, Seger grabbed a program off the table where the lady was reading and leafed through it. It seemed that they had arrived just in time, for this was Sarah's final performance. However, it was scheduled to last twenty minutes.

How are we supposed to sit here twenty minutes while some digital force is wreaking havoc on Vancouver right now? Seger thought angrily. Around him, people were seating themselves and then the lights dimmed. Seger looked up, his gaze falling upon a large crystal chandelier that resided over the main walkway. His eyes traveled back to the stage where the dancers had entered and he could just make out Sarah from the heavy make-up on her face.

His eyes traveled back to the chandelier.

"PC," he muttered, so as not to draw too much attention to himself and the Digimon at his side. "Do you think you could-" But PawnChessmon seemed to have had the same idea. He pulled his shield from his arm and aimed carefully. Then, with a cry that was so out of place with the classical music and the ballerinas on the stage, he flung his shield towards the light fixture.

"Pawn Buckler!"

With a snap, the chord holding the chandelier snapped and it fell twenty feet onto the ground below. Around them, people screamed, but Seger and PawnChessmon raced past them, heading towards the stage where Sarah had spotted them.

"What do you think you're doing?" she raged, jumping down from the stage and advancing on Seger. From backstage a large pink bird flew out and landed beside Sarah. "That was my key performance. There were scouts in the audience."

Without so much as batting an eyelash, Seger proceeded to explain to Sarah what had happened downtown. Gradually, her anger faded and was replaced with disbelief and fear.

"They... they... what?" she spluttered, ushering them all backstage again. She located her bag and quickly changed her shoes, pulling out her Digivice in the process. Dancers were flitting around backstage, clearing in a disarray while people were working on cleaning up the mess in the main hall. "Come on," she muttered, leading them out a door near the costume rack. "We can get back downtown and figure things out."

As soon as they shut the door they rounded the side of the building and back out front where they stopped in their tracks.

Guarding the front doors and preventing people from exiting were a group of large blue dinosaurs in combat outfits and guns. Immediately, Seger and Sarah's Digivices began beeping, a high pitched sound that alerted the guards of their presence.

"Commandramon, Rookie level Digimon," Seger read quickly off his Digivice. There wasn't much more data worth mentioning as a second group of Commandramon advanced on them led by an extraordinary sight.

A woman, tall and elegant looking was striding towards them. She had huge white wings extending from her shoulder blades that looked like they could stretch twelve feet across. A white dove mask covered her face but her sparkling blue eyes could be seen through the cuts. She was wearing a light blue dress that seemed to have armor incorperated into it and her long blonde hair was plaited neatly at the back of her head.

"Ah, so I thought correct," she drawled, her beautiful voice resounding throughout the empty square. "There are two Tamers here."

The beeping on their Digivices was now so high and close together that it just sounded like an annoying buzzing sound. This time, Sarah checked her Digivice for information.

"Venusmon," she read aloud. "One of the Twelve Olympians of the Digital World."

"I'm glad that you're so well informed," Venusmon said with a smirk. "Too bad it won't help you much once you're dead." She lifted her hands and swarms of Commandramon's rushed forward, all after one thing: to eliminate the two Tamers before them.


	8. VIII Love Drunk Part I

**This is a two part chapter because the day that I wrote this, I wasn't in the mood for writing a six thousand word chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the song Love Drunk for which this chapter was titled.

* * *

**

When Judi re-entered the restaurant, she hesitated, feeling the weight of the Manteiopter in her apron pocket. Wizardmon had not specifically told her to not tell anyone, yet she was a little apprehensive showing it to the others. What if they tried to read it too, only to have it shatter for them? Judi didn't dare try and ask it a question, despite the fact that it had been clear that she had a pure soul. Still, there was a certain nagging thought in the back of her mind, the fact that if she messed up then the Digital World would break around her and she would never get home to Morgan and Seger.

_It is for this very reason that you may ask safely,_ the Manteiopter seemed to tell her from the inside of her pocket, but she still refused to believe it.

The rest of the day was spent washing dishes and preparing noodles for the dinner crowd. The only plus was that Judi, Liam, Jarred and their Digimon got free food too, though it wasn't exactly free if you had to pay it off with work. Still, Judi couldn't see them sticking around much longer. With the Manteiopter it would be easier to bring down the Olympians, meaning they could go home. Things were normal there, a breath of fresh air from all the craziness in the Digital World.

"Did you hear about Venusmon?" someone at the bar asked, and Judi, who had been wiping the counter and eating noodles at the same time almost choked on them. Composing herself carefully and smiling at the two, she hurried into the back room for some disinfectant spray to return to listen to the two customers. She had recognized Venusmon as one of the Olympians that Terriermon had identified with her. She was modeled after Venus or Aphrodite, her Greek counter part and had a great and most terrible beauty about her that could captivate any man and have them lead themselves to their deaths.

"I hear she led a number of troops out of this world. Crazy, right? There is no other world besides this one!" The two customers laughed, leaving their money on the counter and exiting the shop, meanwhile, Judi's stomach dropped. If what they said was true, then the real world was in just as much danger as this one.

_I suppose you've won,_ Judi thought savagely to the Manteiopter. _I'll deal with you after my shift._

[Heroes]

With a surge of energy that neither Sarah or Seger could understand, they seemed to leap into action mode with their Digimon. Both Rookies charged at the advancing Commandramon, firing off attacks that would occasionally bounce off the armor of the enemies. Sarah and Seger ducked and wove, making their way through the sea of Digimon towards the one that mattered most.

Venusmon was even more intimidating up close. The beauty she emanated was overwhelming and Seger couldn't help but have his eyes drawn towards every stunning feature. As they drew nearer, the smile on Venusmon's face grew and she flapped her angel wings noiselessly.

"Seger and Sarah, I presume?" she asked, her piercing blue eyes staring down at them from between her dove mask. "A pleasure to meet you. I now have the pleasure of finishing you off myself." She paused however, her hand moving over her hip once before scowling. "Apparently it is not for me to do though," she snarled, her eyes narrowing violently. Seger and Sarah exchanged glances. What did Venusmon mean by "it was not for me to do"? It didn't make any sense, but there was a time to discuss it and this wasn't it.

"My siblings are always believing me to be useless," she said, her voice rising as the battle behind them raged. "But I'll show them. You are lucky to be spared of death, but not of pain." From nowhere she grabbed a glowing scepter that looked as if it were made of ice. The end was pointed like a spear and glittered like the ocean was held inside. "Jalousie de peur!" she shrieked, pointing the spear point at Seger.

[Heroes]

After her shift ended, Judi found it increasingly difficult to find a quiet moment. Liam and Jarred were sitting in the bedroom talking, and she knew that if she wanted to go outside Terriermon would follow her. She'd have to make up an excuse.

"Oh, I think I left my Digivice in my apron," Judi invented wildly, hoping the shock and fear on her face was convincing. "I put it in the wash basket, I'll be right back." Her companions nodded at her as she dashed from the room, her Digivice concealed beneath her t-shirt and the Manteiopter clutched tightly in one hand. She rounded a corner and dove into the broom closet, snapping the door closed behind her and tugging on the cord that turned on the light. The small room was instantly bathed in an orange glow from the light above and Judi settled herself on an overturned bucket, musing at the thought of the strange seating she had used so far in using the Mantheiopter.

She pulled a flat board of wood onto her lap and set the Manteiopter on top. Unlike a normal top that it so resembled, the fortune teller of sorts stood neatly on its tip as if it were a ballerina on pointe, waiting to be asked a question.

Suddenly, Judi wasn't so sure anymore. Her doubts and fears had crept up on her again, threatening to make her bail. But she couldn't. She had limited time to do this, for Jarred and Liam would soon be looking for her, so with a deep breath she focussed on the spinning top before her.

"How... how do I keep Seger, Morgan and Sarah safe?" she whispered to it, her breath catching on the last word. There was a pause that seemed to stretch for hours as Judi waited, shaking with the fear that at any moment, the Manteiopter might shatter, but it didn't. Instead, it began to whirl on the wood, tracing patterns across it that Judi could not see. The colours flashed and danced and Judi was reminded again of the Parthenon she had stood in with Ben in her dream. _But it hadn't been a dream,_ she reminded herself. _I swear, I was really there._

As the Manteiopter continued to spin, Judi watched it relentlessly. Were the patterns it was making the answer? Wizardmon had said that she would have to be smart enough to decipher what the Manteiopter was telling her, but she hadn't anticipated on ancient runes or anything. Fear gripped Judi's heart, but before she could worry too much, a high, melodic voice seemed to echo around the broom cupboard, though somehow Judi knew it was only for her to hear.

_"To travel ahead is a choice of great peril. Not for those faint of heart or who scare well. Danger comes in great shapes and great sizes; the most dangerous knows just what the prize is."_

Immediately, the Manteiopter stopped spinning, staying perfectly still like when Judi had first set it on the piece of wood. What had it meant? It talked in riddles, which were never Judi's strong point; those kinds of things were usually left to Morgan, who wasn't there with her.

"Judi?" Liam's muffled voice sounded throughout the noodle house and Judi shot up off her bucket, sending the board and the Manteiopter tumbling to the ground. Cursing under her breath she scooped it up before turning the door handle and sneaking outside.

[Heroes]

Seger had no idea what had happened. One minute he was standing outside the dance theatre with Sarah and Venusmon, and now he was at the high school. Classes weren't even in session on the weekend and yet, people were milling about. A clock hanging from the ceiling told Seger it was twelve-thirty, lunch time.

Looking around, Seger searched for someone he knew, anyone. And there, down the hallway near the double front doors, stood Morgan and Jarred. They looked to be in deep discussion and Seger pushed through the crowd to get to them. The weird thing was, it was like the people didn't even see him, didn't mind that they were being shoved by a fourteen-year-old.

"Jarred! Morgan!" Seger yelled, racing up to them, but they, like so many others, could not either see or hear him. It was a strange sensation, to know that you were so close, yet so far away from the people around you.

"There's Haleigh," Jarred said with a sigh. Seger turned to look in the direction his brother was gazing and saw Haleigh Campbell, gliding down the hallway towards them with a few of their soccer friends and some other girls that seemed to have been swept up in her wake. As they drew nearer, Seger could sense Jarred's apprehension. Was he going to ask Haleigh out?

The group had finally reached him and Haleigh swept by without so much as a backward glance. A couple of the girls however, detached themselves from the group to strike up a conversation with the boys.

"Hey," Fawn Delatorre greeted, smiling at Morgan. "How've you been?" And to Seger's surprise she leaned up and kissed Morgan swiftly on the cheek.

"Fine, thanks. How are you guys doing?" Morgan replied, wrapping an arm around Fawn's waist.

Had Judi ever mentioned Morgan having a girlfriend? He didn't think so, and Morgan himself had never mentioned it. Maybe it was just something that wasn't worth mentioning, although Seger would have thought he would have seen Fawn more often. If they were together, then Seger was sure that Fawn would have visited plenty of times, but maybe this was something recent.

The other girl was apparently someone Jarred had never met before, for she introduced herself to him. She was a shorter girl with plain brown hair and hazel coloured eyes and said her name was Andie Dowey, a dancer by the way she seemed to hold herself. However, Seger seemed to recognize that Andie wasn't a ballerina like Sarah; she was probably a hip-hop dancer and for this, Seger liked her very much.

She seemed to be looking between Fawn and Morgan and then back to Jarred, as if she felt uncomfortable, like a third wheel. As Fawn and Morgan began a conversation though, Andie seemed to make a decision. "Do you want to get a frozen yogurt?" she asked, referring to the shop down the street which was a favourite hangout for many of the high schoolers.

"Sure," Jarred replied. He turned to Morgan and cast Fawn a skeptical glance. "I'll see you in science, Morgan," he said before following Andie out the front doors.

The sun was shining and many kids were spending their day outside. No one looked up as Jarred and Andie crossed the yard and headed off down the street. "So you're a soccer player?" Andie asked, for lack of something better to say.

"Er, yeah," Jarred replied. "I play on the U-17 team with Morgan."

"Oh, cool," Andie replied. The shop could now be seen just up ahead. "Yeah, I never really got into soccer as a kid. Dance is sort of more my thing." The two of them entered the shop and Seger followed them in, noticing that two tables had been put together for Haleigh and her friends.

"Andie!" Haleigh called from the table, waving her and Jarred over. Andie held up a finger and ordered two yogurts, handing one to Jarred before weaving her way through the remaining tables to where her friends were sitting. Jarred followed, apprehensively, but when Andie motioned for him, he hurried up and slid into an empty seat between Haleigh and Andie.

"Where's Fawn?" Haleigh asked, swirling a straw through an frappacuino that had clearly come from the Starbucks next door.

"With her new boyfriend," Andie replied with a sigh. She smiled fondly at her yogurt, scooping some into her mouth.

"I don't know what she sees in him," Haleigh said with a laugh. "I mean, I could have hooked her up with some soccer kid that's not only cuter than Morgan Hayes, but also way more talented."

Seger's gut clenched. How could she just talk about Morgan like that? She didn't even know him. He turned to Jarred, waiting for him to defend his best friend, but the words that came out of Jarred's mouth were not what he expected.

"I know what you mean," the older boy said, drawing Haleigh's attention to himself. "I mean, he's a little dumb too. I don't even know how he made it into AP Science."

Haleigh narrowed her eyes. "Aren't you friends with him though?" she questioned, a smirk crawling onto her normally pretty features.

A faint blush appeared on Jarred's cheeks, but he composed himself quickly. "He's nice enough," he admitted. "But really, I just sort of took pity on him. It's so sad when people don't have friends." Many people around the table laughed as Seger fumed. How could his brother say something like that? If he could, Seger would go and slap Jarred, but he didn't have to. Apparently Andie was having similar thoughts.

"You take pity on him?" she whispered into his ear, her eyes narrowing darkly. "If only Morgan could hear you say that to his face. What kind of a friend are you, Jarred?" she asked. She stood, her facial features re-arranging themselves into a pleasant look. "I got to go, Haleigh," she said. "I have to finish some homework for that class with Figgins. You know how he is." Haleigh waved her hand dismissively, turning her attention back to Jarred. Andie scowled, turning on her heel and dumping her empty yogurt cup in the garbage. Seger made to follow, but the scene changed.

[Heroes]

"We should leave tonight," Judi said, packing her laptop back into her backpack. She knew Liam and Jarred were communicating silently with each other, but she didn't care. The faster they brought down the Olympians, the sooner her brother and Seger and the rest of the real world would be safe.

"Can't we wait till morning?" Terriermon asked as he came traipsing back into the room, followed by Patamon and Veemon. "I don't exactly fancy getting caught by one of the other patrol guards."

"It doesn't matter," Judi said. "We can fight."

"Judi, what's up?" Jarred asked. "You're being so unlike yourself. What's wrong?"

Judi sighed. She hadn't told them about what she had heard the two customers saying, much less what the Manteiopter had told her. Liam and Jarred were watching her closely as Terriermon came over and climbed onto her shoulder. It was now or never.

So Judi explained to her companions about what she had heard, how taking down the Olympians sooner rather than later would benefit everyone. Liam nodded calmly, but Judi could see the panic that Jarred held in his eyes, the same that coursed through her veins. His brother and best friend were back there, just like Judi's.

"Fine," he said, startling everyone out of their thoughts. "Let's go. But if we get caught it's your fault Judi."

[Heroes]

When the world seemed to stop spinning Seger found himself at the skating rink where Judi spent a lot of her time. It looked like she had just finished an off-ice class and was getting ready to head onto the ice because she was lacing up her skates. Around him, Seger saw other girls and the occasional boy bustling around, tossing tape or gloves to each other as well as hair clips between the girls.

"Judi, can I borrow a bobby pin please?" a girl that looked no older than eleven stood patiently beside Judi. She was obviously a high performance skater as well, because her skates were laced and everything, but it still surprised Seger. She was easily the youngest girl there.

"Yeah, sure," Judi replied. "They're in the front pocket of my bag." The girl nodded, rummaging through Judi's bag before heading off to her own spot. That was when Seger noticed that Judi wasn't alone. Wandering near the doors to the ice surface was Liam, who was tugging at the sleeve of his jacket. It looked like he had been running around on the track around the soccer fields, but was about to watch Judi skate.

"So, you're practicing for Provincials?" Liam asked quietly as he sat down next to Judi, smiling brightly at her. Seger had the sudden urge to punch Liam, mainly because that should have been him, sitting next to Judi as she laced her skates and pulled her hair back into a neat ponytail. Where had he been at this time.

"Yeah," Judi replied, returning Liam's smile. "I'm really excited. My long program's music is to the Lord of the Rings; it's such a great song really." Liam nodded, as if he understood what Judi was saying, but Seger knew other wise. It had taken him five long years to distinguish the many jumps, spins and other talks of a figure skater as it had taken Judi that long to understand the talk of a skier.

A few of the girls were heading into the rink, laughing and chatting and one of them waved at Judi. "Hurry up," she called. "I want to show you my double Axel!"

"Just a minute!" Judi replied eagerly, turning back to Liam. "You don't really have to watch," she said quietly, rocking on her skate guards. She was almost as tall as Liam with her skates on, allowing them to see almost eye to eye.

"But I want to," Liam replied with a smile. He enveloped Judi in a hug and kissed her cheek.

Seger would have told himself any other time that the feeling he was feeling in the pit of his stomach was simply because Judi was his best friend and that they were practically siblings. It was natural for him to feel protective of her, but he wasn't so sure this time. This strange dream world was consuming and put new feelings in his heart, new words in his mouth. Did he really care about Judi more than just a friend?

The two of them separated, Judi bouncing off to join her friends in the rink, Liam heading off to sit in the stands, leaving Seger to ponder what he saw as the scene changed once again.


	9. VIII Love Drunk Part II

**Disclaimer: I do not own the song Love Drunk for which this chapter was named.

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**

It was dark when they left the noodle shop, chilly like autumn. Judi refused to let herself shiver, to let herself be vulnerable when Seger and Sarah and Morgan were in such a worse position than her. It was cruel, really, to have so much freedom and as Judi turned to glance at Jarred, who was tugging at Liam's sleepy form, she realized it was unfair for them to have no thoughts, no worries, to not have the burden of the Manteioter weighing their pockets down. But it wasn't fair to them to have to carry the burden with Judi.

It was unnerving to look up at the sky and see stars, stars that Judi couldn't recognize. There was no Big Dipper or Orion in the Digital World. In fact, Judi wasn't even sure that there were constellations because the star patterns didn't make any sense. Every once in a while a star would blink out of existence as another - maybe the same one? - popped up somewhere else. It was a strange world that made Judi yearn for home.

"Judi?" Terriermon asked sleepily as he rested his head against Judi's blonde hair. When Judi merely nodded her head in response, Terriermon continued. "What aren't you telling me?"

Judi paused her thinking, contemplating and weighing her options. Could she trust Terriermon? Despite only knowing him for a few days, Judi felt like she could trust the small Digimon like she trusted Jarred and Liam. She trusted all their Digimon that way. Then could she tell Terriermon about the Manteiopter? With a sigh, Judi decided on explaining part of the story. She didn't have to say everything, but just the basics.

"Yesterday, when I was taking out the garbage, I met a Digimon called Wizardmon who, um, gave me advice on defeating the Olympians," Judi said quietly so as not to be overheard by Jarred and Liam. "And, I miss home. I'm worried about Seger and Morgan and even Sarah, who used to annoy the crap out of me but now is one of those people on that top priority list. I just want to get out of here."

Terriermon didn't say anything and Judi fiddled with the strap on the backpack she had been given since arriving in the Digital World. She sensed that Terriermon knew she wasn't telling the whole truth, but was relieved by his words.

"I get it," he said into her ear as Judi clambered over a wooden fence and waited for her friends to catch up. "You've just got to be careful, Judi. You can get hurt here in the Digital World too."

There was a pause as Liam fell from the fence and Jarred scrambled over, kneeling beside him. "I know," Judi said, rushing to Liam's aid as well. "I know."

[Heroes]

When Seger came to stop at the next scene in the horrific dream he was in, he realized he was back at the middle school, near Sarah's locker to be precise. There was no one around and the skiier figured it must have been after school, such as the time that Sarah and Seger had discovered each other's secrets. Looking around for the people featured in that particular scene, Seger spotted Sarah and a second familiar figure farther down the hallway.

Trevor Birchard was a boy that had basically tormented Seger all his life. He had, at one point, competed against Seger in ski racing until switching to snowboarding, declaring that skiing was too tame for him. Seger had envied how Trevor had been so effortlessly good at every sport he competed in whereas Seger had worked hard to get good at skiing. It hadn't been simple, but he did it and Trevor had simply moved past skiing like it was really nothing in his life.

For a while, Seger didn't see Trevor except during ski season. Trevor had lived in Kelowna in the middle of southern British Columbia and had moved to Vancouver when he and Seger were ten and just happened to stumble upon the school that Seger, Judi, Sarah and Liam had all gone to. And Seger had been picked on by Trevor ever since.

It wasn't just Seger, though, that Trevor tended to annoy. He hit on a lot of girls at school and Seger had a fleeting memory of the time Trevor had tried to hook up with Judi. She had punched him so hard that she broke his nose and she was suspended for a day. Looking forward toward Sarah and Trevor now, Seger suddenly realized what was going on and crept closer.

"So, Sarah, thanks so much for letting me borrow your science notes. I can't believe that my mom made me stay home and miss that class. I told her I was fine, but she begged to differ, and I suppose it was for the best. Turned out I had a stomach bug, but I was lucky enough to get back at it the next day," Trevor said as he carefully tucked a few papers into his backpack.

"No worries," Sarah replied, shifting from foot to foot. Seger knew what she was thinking, how she wanted to get home to Biyomon and check on Salamon and PawnChessmon as well. She really didn't have time to spend with Trevor, but as Seger watched on he realized another thing: Sarah was starting to relax. What was going on? She couldn't possibly be falling for Trevor's charm, could she? She must know about the way he manipulated girls and beat up the boys and tormented teachers, but apparently not. "Glad I could help," she continued, pushing a strand of dark brown hair out of her eyes. Trevor smiled back at her, leaning against the window ledge.

"You're friends with Seger Davis, right?" he asked casually, as if it didn't mean anything (it probably didn't, but Seger was starting to get paranoid).

Sarah nodded. "Yeah, but we're just friends. He'll never see me as something else even though he probably knows I've had a crush on him since like, fifth grade. But whatever. He only has eyes for his best friend, Judi Gretzinger, even though he'll never admit it. I think she was the girl that punched you in the nose."

Seger thought he saw a flicker of annoyance in Trevor's hazel eyes but he might as well have imagined it because it was only fleeting. "Oh yeah, she's pretty, but you're much prettier. Seger's definitely missing out."

Sarah giggled, blushing madly and Trevor laughed. "You want to hang out sometime?" he asked, tossing his head so that his light blonde hair fell back into place. "Grab a pizza or catch a flick? Do something that doesn't involve cutting open a frog together?"

Sarah laughed, a full laugh this time, and shrugged. "Sure," she said, pulling a scrap of paper from her backpack and scribbling on it with a marker from her pocket. She handed it to Trevor with a smile. "Here's my cell number. Text or call me sometime and we'll figure out a day."

"Awesome," Trevor said with a smile, tucking the slip of paper away and with a painful jolt, Seger realized that Trevor would probably never call Sarah in her life. Their happy faces were the last thing he saw before the scene faded to an obsolete blackness.

[Heroes]

They figured out pretty quick that Liam wasn't really up to walking any farther that night. He had practically passed out from exhaustion and if they came across anymore obstacles like the fence, it was plausible that Liam could really hurt himself. As Jarred walked off in search of firewood, Judi sat with Liam's head in her lap and feeling extremely guilty. If she hadn't demanded for them to set off at night in the first place, they'd all be back at the diner sleeping in a bed instead of on the ground in the middle of nowhere.

"It's not your fault," Liam mumbled sleepily and it startled Judi so much that she yelped in surprise. Liam reached out a hand and entwined it with Judi's, trying to tell her he was sorry without really saying it. He was just so damn tired. "Just don't blame yourself," he muttered again, stifling a yawn. "It's not like I got hurt or anything. I just haven't really been getting a ton of sleep." He didn't leave room for Judi to say anything because he promptly fell asleep after that, but Judi didn't have much to say anything. She had never felt as connected to the people that were with her than she did now.

Veemon, who had previously been keeping an eye out for Jarred and Patamon, padded over to where Judi, Liam and Terriermon were, curling up next to his Tamer. "I'm beat too," he said sleepily. "It's been a long day."

"Yeah, no kidding," Terriermon replied, squeezing himself between the top of Liam's head and Judi's stomach and making himself comfortable. "You should get some sleep, Judi."

"I'll wait till Jarred gets back," the skater replied, brushing a strand of dark blonde hair out of her eyes and leaning back on her hands. "Make sure he doesn't get lost."

"Fair enough," Terriermon said with a yawn before he followed Liam and Veemon's example and fell asleep.

There were no crickets in the Digital World like there were in the real world and the silence was almost suffocating to Judi. The only sound was the breathing of her and her companions around her, and Judi strained her ears, trying to hear of the sound of Patamon's wings or Jarred's feet as he returned with fire wood to keep them warm that night. She was also listening for the sound of things out of place; they didn't need another Digimon attack like Pajiramon, which felt like a million years ago.

She wanted to ask the Manteiopter in her pocket if they would be safe tonight, but she felt like she didn't have enough brain power to try and process the riddle-like response. Judi sighed as she gazed at the sky above with the blinking stars and the ever-changing constellations. She was in the state of being where she was so tired she just couldn't fall asleep. Not insomnia, she mused, but just... different.

The sound of rustling grass and footsteps made Judi look to her left as Patamon swooped down low from the sky and settled himself in the low branches of a nearby tree. She could just make out the outline of Jarred in the darkness, and with a jolt she realized he wasn't alone. She was about to open her mouth to shout at him when Patamon's soft voice said, "Don't worry, she's not a threat." Judi turned her attention back to the approaching figures, watching them warily and absently smoothing at Liam's strawberry blonde waves across his sweaty forehead while the other was still entwined with his hand.

"Judi?" Jarred's voice rang out in the darkness as they arrived in the campsite.

"I'm right here," the blonde said, nodding towards the older boy.

"Right, good," Jarred muttered. He set down the wood and pulled out the matches they had swiped from the diner, twelve packs in all. Judi watched as a flame spurted to life on the end of the match before lighting a fire on a small pile of wood, throwing enough light around the campsite to make Liam mumble in his sleep. The girl that Jarred had brought with him stood in the shadows of the tree Patamon was perched in and Judi squinted to try and make out her features. When Jarred motioned her into the light, Judi gasped.

The girl before her was a skinnier, hungrier and more desperate version of Jasmine Saunders, someone Judi skated with and occasionally babysat for back home in Vancouver. She had two sisters, Talia and Yvonne who also skated and were apparently no where to be seen.

"Jasmine?" Judi asked in disbelief, pitching forward to take a closer look at the girl. Her hair was a little matted but was still the ordinary brown that Judi remembered. Her dark blue eyes flickered in the fire light, appearing listless and empty along with the rest of her face. Her clothes looked ripped and dirty, as if she had been out in the wilderness for a while. "What are you doing here?"

Jasmine shook her head, shaking and Jarred pulled her towards him as he stood, moving across the fire to sit with his back to Judi so that the two could lean against each other.

"Where did you find her?" Judi asked with a yawn, leaning her head against Jarred's shoulder as he cradled the eleven year old Jasmine in his arms.

"I'll tell you in the morning, when Liam's awake too," Jarred replied, reaching an arm around Judi and ruffling said boy's hair affectionately. "Right now, we should just sleep. We'll start walking again in the morning. Besides, I'd like to know Jasmine's story too, but she just fell asleep."

"Alright," Judi said, finally allowing herself to succumb to sleep.

[Heroes]

Seger's head was pounding and he groaned as he lifted his eye lids. Where was he now? And as his eyes settled on a pair of high heeled boots and the sound of battle raged in his ears, the blonde realized he was back at the theatre and he had been facing Venusmon. But he had been standing before and now he was on the ground, what had happened?

Venusmon's cold, cackling laugh filled the air and Seger shakily used his arms to push himself onto his knees. "Have a good time?" she asked as Sarah grabbed him under one arm and helped Seger to his feet. "See anything... special?"

"What did you do to him?" Sarah demanded, and from the way Venusmon conducted her face, Seger presumed she was rolling her eyes, which were hidden behind her dove mask. Sarah had probably been asking that for however long Seger had been out cold. "Why don't you tell me? You just let me stand there and watch as you tortured my friend!"

"Sarah?" Seger asked and he hated how weak his voice sounded, how empty and hollow it felt just leaving his mouth. "What happened?"

"That witch just... I don't know! One moment we're all having an argument and the next thing I know you're lying on the ground writhing in pain and screaming and moaning and crying out and it was the most cruel, cold-hearted, soul-less thing I've ever seen!" She screeched, directing the last part towards Venusmon who was twirling her ice-like wand between her fingers absently.

"Love is a powerful thing, is it not, Seger?" she asked in her cold but melodious voice. "You better think about what you saw."

"Were those visions real?" Seger rasped out, clutching at Sarah's shoulder to stay upright. "Was everything true?" His mind drifted to Morgan and Fawn, how Jarred would just throw aside his best friend and Andie for Haleigh, how Judi and Liam could be dating and how Trevor had manipulated Sarah. Was all of that real? And if it was, where did it leave Seger in the whole mess? If Venusmon had been showing him visions of love, it was pretty obvious that Seger had no love life.

"People are often blinded by love," Venusmon replied. "It clouds their judgement."

"Stop speaking in riddles," Seger roared, lunging for the goddess. She disappeared in a shower of dove feathers, re-appearing behind Sarah and allowing Seger to stumble and have to grab a railing to prevent himself from falling flat on his face.

"What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Judi is the sun," Venusmon cackled. "I'll leave you to deal with the Commandramon; I have bigger and better things to do than deal with you." And like earlier when she had so easily dodged Seger's attack, she disappeared in a flurry of dove feathers.

"Argh!" Seger exclaimed, getting to his feet. He was still shaky from the whole ordeal with the dreams and whatnot but he wasn't going to let that stop him. He turned his attention towards the battle the Digimon were fighting and gulped. Although Biyomon and PawnChessmon were doing alright, they weren't going to be able to defeat all of those Commandramon on their own. There had to be at least fifty left and would no doubt wear out the two Rookies.

"What can we do?" Sarah exclaimed, waving her arms around wildly with her Digivice in one hand, safe from flying only because of the light pink grip. "Biyomon, let us help you!"

There was a pause as Biyomon released a mess of green spiraling energy before knocking back a Commandramon with her wing and shouting, "The only thing you can help us do is Digivolve again, but it will be harder this time. Digivolving to a Champion level needs strength for both parties, and if you haven't noticed, Sarah, I'm sort of running out of energy."

"Well, I think Sarah's got enough for both of you," Seger remarked dryly, pulling out his own Digivice and glancing at his knightly comrade. "We can do it too though, right PC?"

"Definitely," PawnChessmon replied, sending his shield into a small group of Commandramon. "We're capable of anything!"

Like when Seger was required for his Digimon to Digivolve from In-Training to Rookie, Seger concentrated hard on the bond that he and PawnChessmon shared. It was definitely special, a little unique sometimes rather violent, but Seger needed this Digimon in his life; he needed someone else while Judi and Jarred were away in the Digital World. _I need this,_ Seger thought desperately. _I need PawnChessmon and I need Sarah and Morgan. And we have to be able to do this because if we can't then it really shows something: that I'm as shallow and self-absorbed as Judi made me out to be._

Two identical showers of light erupted from the middle of the battle, mixed with swirling pieces of fractal code. Suddenly, a beam of red light shot from Seger's Digivice, striking PawnChessmon's ligt form. A similar pink beam from Sarah's Digivice did the same and both teenagers held their Digivices with both hands to prevent them from shaking too much.

"PawnChessmon Digivolve to... KnightChessmon!"

"Biyomon Digivolve to... Halsemon!"

The beams of coloured light seemed to shatter as the bubbles of light broke apart, revealing two Digimon that Seger had never seen before, but knew were his and Sarah's Digimon.

KnightChessmon was a towering figure, rising almost as tall as the theatre building and resembled a centaur wrapped in pure white armor with golden extras. He held a lance tightly in one hand and Seger watched him leap clear of the Commandramon, setting himself up for a long distance attack.

Halsemon, on the other hand, was the size of a large lion with crimson red feathers and a silver winged helmet, a heart emblazoned on the front. She pawed at the ground impatiently, eyeing the Commandramon who suddenly weren't too sure of the battle they were getting into. It hadn't meant anything when the two targets had been Rookies like themselves, but when facing two Champion -level Digimon they had lost their confidence.

"Big Darts!" KnightChessmon cried out, releasing a flurry of darts from his lance. They struck several of the Commandramon who burst into data upon contact. "Joust!" KnightChessmon cheered as a group of the Commandramon set themselves apart from the others and advanced on the centaur-like Digimon.

"Tempest Wing!" Halsemon shouted, engulfing herself in a thick tornado of air. She smashed into several of the Commandramon, sending them flying backwards before disintegrating into data like those before them. It wasn't long before the two Champions had defeated the enemy, looking exhausted. There was a flash of light and both Digimon reverted back to their Rookie forms before promptly fainting, exhausted from the beating they had took earlier.


	10. IX The Concrete Jungle

The morning light was pale, barely there. Sunrises in the Digital World were strange occurrences, more for show than anything else. After all, they were not a planet in outer space revolving around a star. They were a planet of digital matter, hardly anything more. It was one of the many faults that Judi kept adding to a list on her laptop. After all, she wanted to remember this experience, as crazy and frightening as it may be; she didn't want to wake up one morning and wonder if it was all a dream.

They had been lucky, really. For one, Judi had her laptop and its charger and they had their wits and their partners. They hadn't gone hungry or thirsty and besides the scare with Minervamon on their first night in the Digital World, there had been no other crazy run-ins with the Olympians. True, there had been the Deva, but seeing as they had not seen another for quite some time, they had mostly let down their guards. They weren't expecting anymore Deva attacks.

(It was perhaps for this reason that Pajiramon's master decided to wait for a second attack on the Tamers. To strike at their weakest would ensure their destruction. He was a cunning master, no doubt, and believed he would make an excellent ruler of the Digital World. The Olympians were playing right into his hands and they didn't even know it.)

By the time the sun was really and truly blazing in the far east, Judi was already up. She had carefully untangled herself from her Digimon and friends and had come to tend to the fire, which had burned low in the night. It was comforting, to have something to do again, rather than to just sit around and wait for the end of the world. She had far too great an imagination to let it run wild on thoughts like that.

The skater watched calmly as bird Digimon flew from the trees, setting out in search of fun and wild adventures. Judi could remember days like those when she and Seger had ran throughout their apartment building and in the field at the park, pretending to be knights in shining armor or princesses or secret agents or ninja-spy-pirate-warriors. Had it really only been a few short days that had turned the two against each other? Feeling a little overwhelmed at the thought, Judi blinked back tears and glanced back at her sleeping friends.

They were shifting in their sleep now, their internal clocks alerting them that dawn had come and gone. Jasmine was the first to roll over in an attempt to get up, pushing herself away from Jarred and glancing at Judi with hollow eyes. They were a unique colour, dark blue as deep and fathomable as the ocean off the coast of Vancouver. Judi had never seen dark blue eyes before and found them as intriguing

"Good morning, Jasmine," Judi said quietly so as not to wake the others. The brunette stared blankly at her for a moment before pushing herself first into a crouch and then to her feet. She stumbled unevenly across the small expanse of grass between them before settling next to Judi and hugging her knees to her chest.

"Hi," she said just as quietly, her voice sounding as hollow as her eyes displayed.

The two skaters sat in silence together, watching the world shift around them as nameless Digimon emerged from their slumbers to greet the day. They all had something to do that day, and it was unnerving in a way that while they would carry on with their lives, the four humans would be travelling to tear down their hierarchy system.

"What are you doing here?" Judi whispered, so quietly she barely heard it herself. She watched Jasmine tense slightly and shake her head, but as Jarred stumbles over and occupies the seat on one side of Jasmine and Liam plops down next to Judi, his head taking a spot on her shoulder, she sighed. There was no way out of it now, for all the Tamers wanted to know what the young, eleven-year-old girl was doing in the Digital World.

"There's a hole, ripped into the sky, in the human world. It brought me here and when I arrived, it felt like I was being torn, like part of me was being snatched away. I felt incomplete for days but only recently I felt whole again. I'm lucky that I found you guys; I was starting to lose hope," Jasmine said quietly, glancing cautiously at the others, her face a mask of her emotions.

"A hole... in the sky?" Liam's words broke the silence that had settled over them, and he spoke for everyone when he asked, shock clearly etched on his face. How could a hole have ripped its way across the skies of Vancouver? Who was responsible for it?

"Seger and Morgan and Sarah would know," Jarred mumbled. "The next town we stop at, Judi, set up the laptop. We're going to need to speak to them."

[Heroes]

Really, it was a long time before they made it to another town. The small group of Tamers lost in the Digital World traveled the whole day without much time for breaks, only pausing to catch animals, the first sign of the real world besides each other. Besides noodles, they really hadn't eaten much else and the sight of the rabbit cooking over their fire seemed to snap their attentions back to the main problem that pressed them. Underneath the thought of overthrowing the Olympus Twelve was the thought on how to return home. How to leave.

The town appeared to them in the dead of night, rising up out of the gloom. It was a small village, made of wooden and mud houses that were clumped together. A fountain in the middle of the square depicted a Digimon that was very human-like, its long dress made out of what looked like foliage and huge wings that Judi had always envisioned belonged to that of Titania, the fairy queen in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Her eyes was hidden behind a band, the concrete of the statue making it impossible to tell what it was made out of, and her hair flowed down her back towards her rear end. It was a beautiful sight, and no doubt spectacular when the water was flowing, but as the Tamers approached it became very clear that the fountain hadn't ran in a long, long time.

"Well, this place really looks like it's in good shape," Terriermon said as he glanced around the town from the safe spot on the top of Judi's blonde streaked hair.

"Oh, be quiet," Judi mumbled. The place really did look like it could use a pick-me-up though. This was not the image of luxury that the previous town had provided the Tamers. "Do you think they'd have an internet connection here?"

Suddenly, the broken shutters of one of the windows slammed open, causing the group of travelers to jump. They looked around momentarily for the source of the noise before their eyes fell upon a Digimon that clearly occupied one of the houses. Staring out at them from the open window ledge was...

"It's like a chocolate version of me!" Terriermon crowd jubilantly, diving off the top of Judi's head and scampering over to the Digimon.

It really did look like a chocolate version of Terriermon. The new figure shared the same body shape and long floppy ears as Judi's partner with the obvious exception of it being completely brown with pink trim. Besides that, the only other noticeable difference Judi saw were the three horns that had split from Terriermon's single a top its head.

As Terriermon drew closer however it let out a rather loud shriek and slammed its windows shut again. The Tamers stood, stony faced and confused as Terriermon slowly sank into a sitting position. "What did I do?" the little rabbit asked and Judi sympathetically scooped him up into his arms.

"That was a little rude," Veemon noted as he bounced up to the front door. "Do you think I should knock or just break it down?"

"Knocking would be more polite," Liam hinted, striding up next to his partner. The blue dinosaur shrugged and rapped his knuckles on the door, letting the sound echo throughout the village.

Two seconds later the cry of, "Vee Headbutt!" and the splintering of a door alerted anyone who had been listening that Veemon had clearly grown impatient.

"Veemon!" Liam roared as he followed his Digimon inside the house, the rest of the group hesitantly following. "I told you to knock!"

"No," the Digimon replied. "You told me that knocking was more polite. I did both. Suck it up."

Liam's face grew a dangerous shade of red but Patamon flew between them just in time. "Cut it out," he said. "The door is the least of our worries at the moment."

The Terriermon-like Digimon they had seen in the window was cowering near the fireplace, its long velvety ears wrapped around itself protectively.

"Hey," Jarred said, stepping forward. "We're not here to hurt you."

The Digimon shivered and attempted to become part of the wall as it shied away from Jarred's touch. It was a timid creature, really, which Judi found odd. For Terriermon's doppelganger it sure had a huge personality difference. While Judi's partner was normally very bubbly and didn't know when to shut up, Judi was sure that you couldn't get this thing to talk if you pried the words out of its mouth.

"What is it?" Liam asked, turning to Veemon as if he would hold the answer. The blue dinosaur cocked an eyebrow at Liam's look.

"What?" he asked. "Just because I'm a Digimon doesn't mean I know who everyone is. He's like what Terriermon said, a chocolate version of himself." Liam scowled and the others mimicked him. The creature was timid, but it might be able to help them either connect to the internet or tell them where they could go to find a connection. However, at the rate they were going it looked like the only thing they would be doing was having a mime contest.

"Step aside, amateurs," Terriermon chimed, pushing through the crowd to the front. He stared the creature down, who seemed to shake even harder, before it burst into loud wails that reverberated around the cramped room. "Whoa, whoa," Terriermon said, his ears folding in on themselves and his hands waving wildly. "Stop! Be quiet!"

"You're not doing it right," Judi heard Jasmine mutter from the back of the room. The blonde skater turned to face her, cocking her head to the side.

"What do you propose we do then?" Judi asked. "I mean, do you know a way to get it to stop crying and to talk?" Jasmine merely shrugged her shoulders, stepping forward and scooping the little bundle of brown and pink fur into her arms. Everyone was quiet as she gently whispered in its ear, and after a few moments it hushed.

"Wow, it's like a miracle worker," Liam mused as he uncovered his ears with his hands. "What'd you do, Jasmine?" The younger girl didn't reply and the group lapsed into silence again.

Perhaps it was just the impatience to contacting the real world, or maybe the fact that it was getting hot standing around in the clay room baked by the sun, but Judi, Jarred and Liam were getting a little anxious. They weren't going to stand there all day, so if this creature didn't have anything to say then they might as well leave.

"Lopmon."

The sound cut through the room like a knife through butter. It had been the creature in Jasmine's arms that had spoken. "My name is Lopmon," it said quietly. "I-I thought that... I thought you were her."

"Her?" Liam asked, scratching his head. "Cause you know, I didn't think Jarred and I looked like girls too much, but maybe I was a little biased." He sent a lopsided grin towards Judi who merely rolled her eyes. Somehow she figured that this wasn't the best time to be cracking jokes.

Lopmon shook her head, closing her eyes and shuddering. "No, no," she said. "The Olympian who rules this area. I thought you were her. This village is all we have and if we don't grow something soon she'll be most displeased."

Each Tamer exchanged glances. An Olympian? If they could figure out who it was and where she was then maybe they'd have a better chance of catching her off-guard. Eliminating an Olympian before reaching Mount Olympus would make their battle infinitely easier.

"Who is she?" Jarred asked kindly as Patamon swooped around their heads. The Tamers stared expectantly at Lopmon, but it only shuddered and cowered away.

"I cannot say," she said as Jasmine set her back on the ground. The chocolate bunny scampered over to the window, hopping up on the sill. "She would have me deleted. But... but I can tell you where she is right now." Lopmon nodded off into the distance and Judi hurried over to the window to catch a glimpse at what Lopmon was motioning towards.

She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed it before because really, the ground was as flat as a pancake and these houses were no skyscrapers. Besides, it didn't even look that far away, easy walking distance and tall as anything was going to get in this barren desert. Who was going to miss a city out here?

"She lives there?" Judi asked, but Lopmon shook her head. The others gathered around them and stared out towards the city as well.

"She's trying to revive it," Lopmon said quietly. "She uses it as a base, to watch over us. If you wish to meet her, that is where you must go. But I wouldn't be surprised if you don't come back. Don't tell her I sent you though. Unlike you, I value my life."

[Heroes]

As Judi predicted, the city wasn't too far away. After leaving Lopmon to cry by herself the Tamers set off; meeting this Olympian was vital if they were to eventually save the Digital World from their reign of terror. Still, as they entered the city between tall and crumbling sky scrapers, Judi couldn't help but feel terribly small. The buildings were so tall they seemed to blot out the sky and the entire city was bathed in grey. There wasn't an ounce of colour anywhere.

"This place gives me the creeps," Terriermon piped up as the group shuffled their way along the main road past empty stores and dusty trash cans.

"You can sure say that again," Liam replied, glancing down a dark alley before shuddering and catching up to the others.

"This place sure gives me the creeps."

"I didn't mean it literally."

The jokes, while stale and dry like their patience, was much appreciated. In a city that looked like it was the epitome of sadness, laughter and happiness were hard to come by.

"What was that?" The group fell silent, staring around themselves before glancing towards Veemon, who had stopped walking and looked around nervously.

"What was what?" Liam asked, but Patamon shook his head.

"I heard it too," he said, flying over to Veemon and resting gently on his head.

"Me too," Terriermon replied. He joined his fellow Digimon while Jarred said, "Well of course you would. Your ears are the size of bed sheets."

"Yuk, yuk," Terriermon retorted. "You're so funny, Jarred." Still, the moment was tense as the Tamers watched their Digimon expectantly. Something had caught their attention and it was making them all a little edgy.

Finally, something caught Judi's eye. It was a flash of green in a sea of grey and it had flickered just around the side alley that Liam had peered down earlier. "Did you see-?" she began, but was cut off as Jasmine let out a terrified shriek.

Whirling around, the Tamers and their partners found themselves staring at the statue from the fountain back in Lopmon's village, only she wasn't a statue anymore. The flowing dress that Judi had noticed before was made up of shimmering colours that changed from a lush green to the many colours of autumn. Her huge wings glittered on their own and her shiny golden hair cascaded in waves down her back. The band that covered her eyes that Judi had noticed before was made of a translucent material that looked almost like ice but the skater was sure that it would never melt or crack.

"Tamers," the lady said, waving a delicate hand through the air. "I could only suspect."

"Who are you?" Liam asked, nodding towards Veemon who took up a fighting stance. The other Digimon followed suit as the Tamers crowded together, Jasmine wedged protectively between Jarred and Judi.

"I am Ceresmon, ruler of plant life," the Olympian replied with a wicked smile. "And also the Olympian who will watch you be defeated. Leaf Vortex!" With a shout, the Tamers dove to the ground as a tornado of leaves erupted from Ceresmon's dress. Their Digimon cowered, continuously crying out as they were battered with leaves.

"Terrier Tornado!" Terriermon's attack slashed through the cyclone of leaves from the Olympian, allowing a clear shot from the others.

"Vee Headbutt!"

"Boom Bubble!"

Almost as if anticipating the attacks, Ceresmon folded herself in the protective cover of her wings, allowing the attacks to hit before she released them, sending Patamon's attack flying back into him and Veemon skidding across the asphalt.

"What can we do?" Judi asked, panicking slightly. "She's ten times stronger than our Digimon. We need them to Digivolve again!"

"That's easier said than done, I think," Jarred replied as their Digimon launched a second volley of attacks only to be treated the same way they had before. "Ceresmon's just too strong. The last time one of us Digivolved they required lots of faith, which we're pretty much out of at the moment."

Jarred was right. They were losing, badly, and Judi knew that as soon as their Digimon were out of the way, they would be next. Maybe it wouldn't hurt, though. Dying had always been something that Judi was scared to think about, but maybe now that they were in the Digital World they were technically data. Then maybe they'd come back to life in the Primary Village like all the Digimon did, but somehow, Judi didn't think that was possible.

"I know what to do," Jasmine said quietly. The boys glanced at her, shocked, but Judi recovered quickly.

"Well, tell us then," she said. "We don't have all day and we need to do it quickly."

Seemingly lit from the adrenaline of battle, Jasmine nodded and stepped forward. "Place your Digivices together in a circle," she ordered. The Tamers obliged, arranging themselves so that Judi's light blue, Jarred's orange and Liam's dark blue D3's pointed towards each other. Nodding approvingly, Jasmine reached into the pocket of her ratty sweater and pulled out a sparkling red card. It looked like it could belong to a trading card game like Pokemon if it hadn't been entirely coated in a red gloss. With a flick, Jasmine sent the card spiraling into the middle of the circle where it seemed to stand straight up between the D3's.

And together, without really knowing where the words came from, the Tamers shouted in unison, "Digivolution Activate!"


	11. X Beat It

**Disclaimer: I do not own the song Beat It, for which this chapter was named.

* * *

**

As the last ray of light and the cries of the Digimon faded, Judi was finally able to take in the sight before her. Each Digimon had changed, grown and evolved into something truly magnificent, leaving not only the Tamers awestruck, but Ceresmon as well.

Gargomon looked very much like Terriermon in the sense that he was still rabbit-like and still retained the green and white colour scheme. The similarities ended there though. He had grown in size so that he was roughly the same height as Judi now and wore a pair of blue jeans, which really was quite strange. His tiny paws had been replaced by two Gatling Guns and a string of bullets slung over one shoulder.

"Are you ready to fight?" he asked, aiming his guns at Ceresmon. The Olympian didn't even flinch, though Judi could tell that she was a little on guard now. She had most likely never seen a Digivolution before; most Digimon had been quite interested to hear of the process. Only a Digimon that had collected enough data or had a human Tamer could Digivolve to the next level.

"I know I am," ExVeemon replied. Essentially a bigger and more muscular version of his rookie form, the large blue dinosaur was an intimidating opponent. Two white wings sprouted from his back and the long blade-like horn protruding from his nose looked like it could pack quite a punch. He glared at Ceresmon, casting a sideways glance at his companions every once in a while.

"And what about you?" the Olympian asked casually, turning to the final Digimon opposing her. A slight grin flickered across her dainty features as she let a vine slither around her fingers like it was a snake.

Patamon's evolution had really been something extraordinary, Judi deduced. While Gargomon and ExVeemon looked quite similar to their rookie forms, Angemon could not look any different than Patamon. He had shed the animal-like appearance, taking on the form of an angel instead. Six gleaming wings extended from his back while swirling bits of blue cloth fluttered in the light breeze. His eyes were covered by a grey helmet that enclosed all but his mouth and a stream of golden hair fluttered down his back, almost as long as Ceresmon's own. A golden staff was gripped tightly in his hand and really, Judi figured she had never seen a more dangerous and holy sight.

"I have chosen my side," Angemon informed, his voice a deep baritone. "You should be aware that you need to choose a side too."

The comment seemed to throw Ceresmon off guard and she lashed out. "I know where my loyalties lie," she snarled. "Nature Cannon!" The tips of her wings glowed an ominous white and she thrust her hands out in front of her. As the four corners of her wing tips released their energy they flew in arcs towards the Olympian's outstretched hands before firing a powerful laser at her opponents.

"Vee-Laser!" ExVeemon countered. The scarred cross marks on his chest glowed brightly as a yellow X beamed itself forward to meet the incoming attack. With a sound like a cannon firing echoing around the empty concrete city, the lasers exploded upon impact, sending the Tamers cowering behind an abandoned hot dog stand.

"Hand of Fate!" Angemon cried as he charged through the clearing smoke, his hand engulfed in orange energy. He connected solidly with Ceresmon who cried out as she was flung backwards, landing in Gargomon's line of fire from where he was positioned next to a cold, grey fire hydrant.

"Gargo Laser!" The guns set into his arms whirled as green bullets of highly compacted light exploded from the barrels, making Ceresmon shriek before covering herself with her wings. They had proved to be excellent cover for when she had been barraged by attacks from the rookie Digimon, but now that they had evolved their attacks had become much more powerful. With an irritated cry, the wings unfolded at a rapid speed, sending any bullets back towards Gargomon, who dove out of the way. They struck the fire hydrant, sending a fountain of water shooting high into the air.

"Digivolution is a powerful concept," she hissed, directing her words to Judi now. She stood shakily, her wings unfurling till they gleamed in the setting sunlight. "You have no idea how important it is to you." She stepped closer to the Tamers and Gargomon dashed into place, putting himself between Ceresmon and Judi.

"Don't step any closer, lady, or I'll blow your brains out," he threatened, waving one gun around wildly.

Ceresmon laughed, a short and slightly bitter sound. "I'd like to see you try," she said lightly. "But be warned that this is only the beginning. The war is just starting now and the only way to stop it is to recover the Flame."

"The Flame?" Jarred asked. "What flame?"

"The Olympic Flame," Ceresmon replied. "It burns through wind and rain, perishable and thriving times and war and peace. It is the bane of our existence, binding digital matter together. It can lead to the destruction of the Digital World and I believe that _you _are responsible."

The Tamers exchanged glances with each other. "How could we be responsible?" Liam asked, brushing his overgrown hair out of his face. "We've only been here for a week and a half. All we've had time for is worrying about how we're going to get home. People must be worried about us."

Ceresmon laughed again, her icy mask sparkling in the last of the light. "Time passes differently here," she spat. "It's only been four days in your world. No one's missing you yet."

"My brother is," Judi said quietly. "And my friends. They're all worried about us."

"That may be true," Ceresmon replied. "But there are Olympians who believe that those friends of yours are responsible for stealing the Flame. Like I said to Angemon, I have chosen my side. I show you mercy today because you had a right to know, but do not think you can be so lucky next time. You have no hope." A sudden gale of wind rushed through the city streets, whipping Judi's hair around her face and sending Angemon's long golden hair flying out behind him. It swept around Ceresmon, barely ruffling her before she was gone, swept away with the breeze.

[Heroes]

"There is no way I'm sleeping here tonight," Liam complained. They had found a small shop near their battle field and were settling into the seats of the booths, trying to get comfortable. "We just got attacked today by one of the Olympians and you want me to sleep in some creepy diner? Hah, thanks guys."

The others stayed silent, listening to Liam grumble. True, none of them wanted to be sleeping in the concrete city, but night had fallen with Ceresmon's leave and they had no intentions of wandering around between the skyscrapers at night.

"Just close your eyes and don't think about it," Jarred called from the other side of the restaurant. "Would you rather be sleeping outside?"

Judi thought she heard Liam mutter something about a pretty girl but her eyes drifted shut and her breathing evened out. It wasn't too long before the rest of the shop was filled with only the sounds of their breathing and soft snoring.

The dream was as vivid as the time before. Judi's eyes whipped open as her hair flew across her face in a fierce wind. She was standing on the same rocky outcropping outside the Parthenon and this time, she took to the opportunity to look around. They were high a top a hill, almost like the Acropolis in Greece, but what stretched before Judi's eyes made her shiver. A maze larger than anything the skater had ever seen before raced towards a horizon that seemed to change with the blink of an eye. One minute the edge of the world seemed to show forest, then beach, then mountain. She recalled how Wizardmon had told her that the path to Olympus changed with every person who sought it, and realized why. The plain that Mount Olympus and its maze were changed location. No one would ever find it via the way of their friend.

"Judi, I thought you'd be joining us again eventually."

The voice made Judi spin around, attempting to sweep her dirty blonde hair out of her eyes. Ben O'Brien was standing in the entrance of the Parthenon, the tall pillars casting eerie shadows around him. "I bet you have a lot of questions."

"I do!" Judi exclaimed, carefully making her way towards the boy. Within the sheltered walls of the Parthenon she was able to smooth out her hair and take a look around. It was exactly the same as the time before, the doors to the throne room still shut tight. "Everything about what Ceresmon-"

"You cannot trust your enemies," Ben said quietly. He settled into one of the arm chairs near the fire, kicking one leg over the other. "We're at war now, Judi. It's time to choose sides."

There it was again, the talk of choosing sides. The skater hesitated nervously before taking a seat opposite Ben, their faces illuminated by the flickering light.

"What are my options?" she asked carefully, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. It was a nervous habit, but Ben didn't seem to pick up on it. He ran a hand through his unruly mop of red hair before flashing her his trademark grin of mischief.

"The side against you or the side for you," he said. "The Olympians have turned against each other, much like the times of the Trojan War. Jupitermon believes that you are the group of Tamers that has stolen the Flame and that only the Tamers remaining in the real world are the ones that will conquer and rise above. Neptunemon thinks opposite. He believes that you and your friends Liam and Jarred are the ones that will bring peace among us again and that the remaining Tamers have stolen the Flame."

"But why would we want to?" Judi asked, her hands shaking as much as her voice. "What are our motives?"

Ben shrugged. "The gods don't need motives or reasons why, Judi," he said. "Just a reason to fight."

There was a long pause where the only sound was that of the wind howling outside the protective walls of the Parthenon and the crackling of the fire. Judi sat with her chin in her hands, contemplating. She hadn't stolen the Flame and neither had the others, but what about Morgan, Seger and Sarah? They hadn't talked for a long time and with the news of time moving differently than in the real world, Judi found herself believing it to be possible. In some strange time or place, there might have been time for the others to steal the coveted Flame.

_But why? _She asked herself. _What use do they have for it? _The words ran circles around her mind but she kept coming back to the same conclusion. There was no other way around it.

"What side are you on?" she asked Ben. Somehow she just knew he was part of this; that he was an Olympian.

A wide grin cracked across Ben's face and he rose, striding to her side of the fire. He extended his hand, which Judi took reluctantly. "The side for you," he replied before pumping her hand once, letting her world go black.

[Heroes]

The sounds of shouting woke Judi with a start and she tumbled off the seat of the booth and under the table, just missing the large pole that supported it. She sat up abruptly, whacking her head on the under side of the table with such force that a string of curse words flew from her mouth, words that were worthy of a pirate.

Feet flew past her table, running in every direction and the shouts and flashes of attacks brought Judi's spinning head back to the present. She wasn't at the Parthenon. No, she was in a diner, but what was going on?

Cautiously, Judi hauled herself out form under the table just in time to see Patamon go careening past with a huge fox-like Digimon chasing after him. She had nine flame tipped tails blazing as she let lose a single attack that sent a volley of flaming fire balls soaring after the hamster. As if sensing she was being watched, she turned on Judi, growling, but a figure stepped in her way. Judi expected it to be Liam or Jarred, or even Veemon, but it was not. It was Wizardmon.

"I said to not harm the humans or their partners," he said viciously. "What part of the instructions does your stubborn mind not comprehend?"

"Relax, Wizardmon," the fox replied. "It's dark out and I thought she was one of the Palmons hiding."

Wizardmon cast her a wary glance before turning back to Judi. "Glad to see you again," he said, extending a hand. Judi accepted it gratefully and let the Digimon haul her to her feet. The flashes of light gradually lessened and the skater was able to take a look around the destroyed diner.

A group of plant-like Digimon were seated in the middle of the floor, trussed up with a thick piece of what looked like wire. They were green, with sturdy legs constructed of vines and a large purple flower grew a top of their heads. Surrounding them were two more Digimon, though they appeared to pose no threat to Judi and her friends.

At the thought of her companions, Judi's head swivelled, seeking them out. They were seated at the remaining table besides her own with a lady that looked like she was made of bright pink tulips. She was lithe and athletic, like a dancer, with four leaf-like wings sprouting from her back that matched the green boots adorned with a yellow flower print design.

"Judi!" Terriermon exclaimed from where he was seated by the window.

"Does someone want to tell me what's going on?" Judi asked, slipping past the pixie-like Digimon and sliding into the seat next to Jarred. Wizardmon joined his comrade at the head of the table and surveyed the Tamers.

"I understand Ceresmon explained to you about the war?" he asked gravely, his bright green eyes surveying the table. The Tamers nodded slowly and Wizardmon sighed. "Ceresmon sent these Palmon to try and destroy you while you slept. It was very lucky that we happened to choose this night to take you back to base camp. The guard team made quick work of them." He nodded towards the two Digimon guarding the plant-like Palmon before returning his attention back to the table.

"For those who don't know me, I am Wizardmon," he said. "I am head of covert operations at the camp. Lilymon here is my second in command. We figure that tonight would be as good a night as ever to move you safely."

"Whoa, wait a second," Jarred said, holding his hands up, startling Patamon who had only just landed on his head, unscathed from the fox's attack. "What's all this about a camp?"

Lilymon, the flowery lieutenant took the opportunity to speak up. "We're creating a rebellion," she explained. "We've joined forces with those Olympians who support you and intend to train you and your Digimon so that when the war comes full scale you'll be able to turn the tides on the opponents. No matter how powerful Jupitermon and his army are, you Tamers are infinitely stronger." She paused, taking in their looks of confusion and sighed. "There will be more time to tell you about the sides of the war and those who support and threaten you, but now is not the time."

Judi, Liam and Jarred all exchanged sceptical glances. They weren't prepared to trust a group of Digimon that had intended to kidnap them from the diner, but what they said seemed to be true. They had defeated the Palmons that had planned on destroying them and having a camp seemed like a good idea.

"Who is your leader?" Liam asked finally, breaking the silence that had stretched over the table.

"He was unable to join us tonight," Wizardmon said quietly. It was clear that he did not want the Palmons to hear. "He and his lieutenant left to meet with Neptunemon. We were to bring you straight back to base camp without incident, but if we are to hope to make it back now we shall need to cover our tracks quickly. I don't know why Kazemon and Leomon have not done away with the attackers."

"They're probably not done questioning them," Lilymon responded thoughtfully. "I'll go check up on them. Answer the children's questions; they look like they're just itching to spit them out." She turned gracefully and stalked back over to where a fairy Digimon and a tall, muscular lion stood guarding the prisoners.

Wizardmon watched her go before turning back to the Tamers, who all erupted into a volley of questions.

"Where is the base camp?"

"Do you know who stole the Flame?"

"Are we in immediate danger?"

"What kind of training will you enrol us in?"

"Can you tell us more about Digivolution?"

"Stop! Stop!" Wizardmon cried, raising his staff and shaking his head. "Let me answer the questions one at a time. The base camp is a secret location from here. No, I do not know where the Flame is as of yet; we have Digimon prowling for it. Yes, you are in danger. If the Palmon managed to have disclosed your location there could be more powerful enemies on the way. Our trainers shall instruct you further on training. I can tell you more about Digivolution, but not here. Kyubimon has just returned and I believe that we are ready to move out."

The fox-like Digimon that had almost attacked Judi had slipped back into the diner. The skater hadn't even seen her leave, but the embers of her tail glowed brightly in the darkness of the cafe, a welcome change from the eerie shadows. "We were unable to secure more guards," she said. "We will have to make due with what we have. Can we risk Digivolution? An Angemon and ExVeemon would be powerful allies to have plus make it easier to move the Tamers."

Wizardmon shook his head. "Digivolution would only attract the enemies Ceresmon has no doubt sent out again. You can take a passenger I gather, and Leomon can take the oldest boy. Kazemon can probably take this young girl here and Lilymon and I will make due with the other girl. We'll all rendezvous back at camp before dawn breaks, clear?"

Kyubimon nodded her head once, setting the long fine white hairs around her neck fluttering. She nodded to Liam who was only just managing to keep himself awake.

"You," she snarled. "Bring your Digimon and get on my back. Don't pull any of my hairs out, but hold on tight. It's going to be a long ride." With wide eyes, Liam clambered out of the booth with Veemon in tow, climbing onto the fox Digimon's back. "Be careful, Wizardmon," Kyubimon said quietly, before she strode out the diner into the grass beyond the back door. Her paws gathered much more purchase here and she and Liam took off into the night.

"Fist of the Beast King!" A blinding flash of orange fiery power illuminated the restaurant for a moment as the tall lion struck out at the Palmons, effectively deleting them. He stood still for a moment, gathering the energy they released before he, the fairy and Lilymon returned to the table.

"Leomon," Wizardmon said, addressing the lion. "Take the oldest boy and his Digimon and return to base camp. Kyubimon is heading in from the south so I expect you to take a different approach." Leomon nodded once, gesturing for Jarred who carefully climbed out of the booth beside Judi and allowed the frightening Digimon gather him in his arms. Under different circumstances Judi might have laughed at the sight, but Leomon quickly padded from the room, turning sharply at the door and disappearing into the night as Kyubimon had.

"Kazemon," Wizardmon called. The fairy Digimon stepped forward, brushing her purple bangs away from the metal band hiding her eyes. Her wings were much like Ceresmon's in the sense that they were delicate but Judi couldn't help but stare at how little clothing the Digimon seemed to wear. It was like she was entering a bikini contest or something. "Take the littlest one in from the northern skies," Wizardmon ordered, snapping Judi's attention back from the fairy. "Make haste before dawn approaches. She has no Digimon to protect her, so take care."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Kazemon chirped with a salute, much to Wizardmon's chagrin. Like Leomon, she gathered Jasmine into her arms and strode out the door before pushing off into the air, her wings taking the two of them higher into the air. When they were out of sight, Wizardmon turned back to Judi and Terriermon, the only remaining Tamer and Digimon.

"We shall approach from the west," he announced. "It will give us a longer cover of night in which we hope none of Ceresmon's minions will find us. We must hurry though. I can feel that the fight has attracted more unwanted visitors."

Nodding curtly, Judi deposited Terriermon on her shoulder where he wrapped his ears around her forehead and shoulder to keep balance. Then using the running skills she had picked up from years of skating, she hurried out the door after Wizardmon who, despite the appearance, was quite a fast runner. She only glanced over her shoulder once to see Lilymon hurrying after them, taking to the air as soon as they had been swallowed up by the starless night.


	12. XI The Call of the Wild

**Hey there! Sorry it's been such a long time but I think I need to just give a short explanation to my prolonged absence. I wrote a novel in November for NaNoWriMo and then I was quite busy with Secret Santa stories. You're quite lucky I started this before November because it was almost done by the time I came back to it today. I sure hope it was worth the wait though. Anyway, here is the new chapter for the story :)

* * *

**

It had taken Seger and Sarah a long time to convince Morgan that things were alright when they walked into Seger's apartment later that evening with two fainted Digimon.

"You stole a car at age fourteen, got attacked by the strongest Digimon out there and then decide to take the city bus home with no protection?" Morgan raged as he paced the small kitchenette with Sarah and Seger seated at the table. "I take one weekend to go to a soccer tournament and you two practically blow up a theatre. Great. Just great."

"Morgan, just shut up," Seger muttered, dropping his head between his hands which were propped on the table top. "Sarah and I are alive, our Digimon are just tired and nothing got blown up. It just means we have to lay low for a bit. PawnChessmon and Biyomon are obviously in no shape to battle again in the next couple of days."

Morgan sighed, running a hand through his short blonde hair. "Yeah, yeah," he said. "Well, maybe you guys should take Salamon to school with you guys, considering your own Digimon are out of commission for a while."

Sarah rolled her eyes as she stood up and grabbed her bag from its spot on the floor next to her chair. "And what about you then, Morgan? It would leave you unprotected. Seger and I can take care of ourselves. Now, I've got to get home before my parents issue a search warrant. They were really freaked about Judi, Liam and Jarred's disappearances and they'll kill me if I'm late." She blew the boys a kiss as she exited the apartment and Seger stood, stretching his arms above his lanky frame. He eyed the computer warily, as if it would fall apart any moment, but the machine hummed contently from its spot in the sitting room.

Both boys knew that the other was eager for a message from their friends in the Digital World. It had been a while since they had last spoken and they were both a little worried. What was going on in that world? There was no way to know if Judi and the others didn't communicate with them and the thought was so unnerving, both boys went to bed without dinner that night.

[Heroes]

Seger could admit easily that he was not one of those straight A students. That was more along Judi's line of expertize. Still, the last few days had been distracting Seger so much that it was no surprise to him really when he failed his math test.

"Seger, je suis vraiment surpris," Mme. Portman said, handing the skier back his test. "Sont vous d'accord?"

Seger shrugged in response. Everyone at school knew his brother was gone. They knew Judi was gone too. So why did everyone just assume that he was alright? Did no one realize what he was going through?

"Oui, Madame," he replied, his French slurring. Sometimes he wondered why he had been put in a French Immersion program, when he would ever use French outside of these classes. Mme. Portman cast him one more glance before continuing to hand out the tests to her other students, leaving Seger to his thoughts.

The one thought that had been nagging at his mind was the fact that if he and Morgan and Sarah could get to the Digital World, they could help. They could find Judi and Jarred and Liam and then save the Digital World, or whatever it was that they were supposed to be doing. Maybe they'd never come back, but at least they'd be there together. And then there were their Digimon too, which would protect them. Seger was sure that getting to the Digital World was the answer to every problem that they were currently facing.

Somewhere in the distance, a bell rang and Seger realized class was over. Mme. Portman looked like she was debating with herself whether or not to talk to him, but finally waved him out with the rest of the class. The skier could tell she wasn't impressed with his recent math mark, but she was going to let it slide. He couldn't be expected to keep his school grades up while his brother and best friend were missing, could he?

That was the other problem. Since the beginning of last week Seger had been informed that he would now be doing counseling sessions with the school counselor. It was so embarrassing that he hadn't even told Sarah or Morgan, but he dreaded his second period after lunch when he would have to skip whatever class he had and go to the counseling office on the fourth floor.

Like right now.

The crowds in the hallway reminded Seger vividly of the images that had played through his mind when he had been in the presence of Venusmon and he shook them out of his quickly. He spotted Sarah at her locker, who waved at him before a girl at the next locker over tapped her shoulder. Seger watched an expression of brief confusion cross the dancer's face before she shrugged, smiled kindly and took off for her next class with the girl in tow.

Sarah was lucky, Seger had realized during his first counseling session. She didn't have to go through these things, having not lost her brother and best friend to the pull of a world that Seger had no idea existed before this whole incident had happened. She could just continue on with her life and pretend things were normal without having a guilty conscience sitting on her shoulders.

The counseling office was filled with motivational posters and little brochures advertising ways that, by calling a certain number, people could help you with things like depression, anorexia or suicide. Seger breezed past them like he did everyday and knocked on Ms. Marlot's door, the counselor he usually saw.

"Come in," she called, and bracing himself for another long and painful session of spilling his guts out to someone, Seger did as he was told.

[Heroes]

Seger was right when he had thought Sarah didn't have to go through any counselling. She was pretty unaffected by the whole ordeal of two of her classmates and a high school student mysteriously disappearing. Still, she often sat up at night wondering, _What if it had been me instead of Judi? Or Liam? _It was a lot to process really, but Sarah was thankful for the time she got to spend with Seger.

Sarah had had a crush on Seger since the fifth grade. She had thought he was the most handsome and interesting boy at their school at that time, but had always seen him with Judi. Those two had been inseparable.

Until now, Sarah mused.

When she had seen Seger in the hallway that day, she had been interrupted by a girl who looked to be her age. She had dark brown hair (almost black and most definitely a dye job, Sarah figured) and light green eyes that were round and doe-like. Sarah stared at the girl for a moment, waiting to see what she would say. It was a little awkward, but finally, the girl sucked in a breath and spoke.

"Hi," she said. Sarah smiled encouragingly, but really, she didn't have all day. She was supposed to be in English next and she couldn't afford to stand around all day and talk to some girl. "My name's Demetria. I'm new here. I was just wondering if you could help me out. I'm supposed to be in Ms. Adele's English class right now. Do you know where that is?"

"Yeah," Sarah replied. "That's actually where I'm headed next. Nice to meet you... Demetria. I'm Sarah." She made a mental note to herself to find a nickname for Demetria. It was definitely a mouthful.

_Nicknames?_ She chided herself. _You think you're going to become best friends with this girl? _Still, she smiled kindly and motioned for the girl to follow her, hoping that she wouldn't be late for her class.

[Heroes]

While Sarah might not have become best friends with Demetria, they sure did hit it off. It was so nice to finally meet someone who liked her for her, and not for her parents' high abundance in cash. Demetria was a little quiet and shy, but she seemed to open up like a flower to Sarah. They shared common interests in dance and fashion and guys, but they were different enough to not overwhelm each other. Sarah couldn't understand how her new friend enjoyed activities like gardening and science, and likewise, Demetria found it hard to understand Sarah's interests in birds and photography.

"Demi, we should hang out after school," Sarah said. She had finally found a suitable nickname for her new friend, something that didn't sound stupid or complicated. It sounded bubbly and energetic, the exact opposite of Demi's personality to anyone other than Sarah.

"I don't know," Demi said with a shrug, tossing her dark brown locks over her shoulder. "I have to go help my dad at his research lab. He said he's just had a bit of a breakthrough on something important."

"You're dad is a... scientist?" Sarah asked. It was an interesting profession, in her opinion. Nothing like her father's job as a lawyer or her mother's as a diplomat.

"Yeah, I guess you could call it that," Demi replied with a smile. "But we can still hang out if you want. Maybe you'd be interested in what he's working on. I know you don't dig science too much, but you never know, right?"

Sarah shrugged. She had had plans to hang with Seger and Morgan that afternoon (like she did every afternoon) and had marveled at the thought of hanging out with her new friend. "Depends. What _is_ your dad working on?"

Demi cast a furtive glance around before turning her light green eyes back on Sarah. It made the dancer realize that maybe she was getting into something beyond her control but it was too late to turn back now. She was standing on the edge of a cliff, she could just feel it.

"My dad's working on some weird alternate dimension stuff," Demi said slowly. There was no one around but the brunette still kept her voice low. "I'm still not sure about all the details, but he's always looking for the insight from other people, whether they're good at science or not. He says that children often have a stronger pull towards these kinds of alternate universes and whatever, which is why he doesn't mind my friends and I hanging around the lab."

Sarah nodded slowly. She had no idea what Demi was getting at or why she was stretching it out so long, but it seemed to be a bit of a touchy subject. Maybe it was embarrassment that held Demi back. Sarah knew that feeling well enough, even though she didn't like to acknowledge it.

"My dad's working on finding a portal into this other world. There's evidence that there's life forms there but the only thing he'll tell me is that it's called... the Digital World."

[Heroes]

"So... you want us to go with a stranger you just met today to her father's lab so he can zap us into the Digital World?" Morgan asked that afternoon as they sat in a Starbucks near the high school. "Does that even sound suspicious to you, Sarah?"

Sarah shrugged as she stirred her custom latte. Seger had stopped bothering to figure out exactly what went into it, the order had been so complicated. He, himself, had just settled for a hot chocolate, and felt almost child-like in his skin sitting with Sarah and Morgan.

"What if it's the real deal though?" Sarah countered back. "This could be our chance. You and Seger are always complaining about how useless you feel sitting around here in the real world while the others are saving the Digital World. This is your one moment to grab a piece of that spotlight."

"You think it's about the spotlight?" Morgan hissed back, his coffee forgotten. "Get a life, will you? I want my sister back, not the fame or whatever that comes with being guinea pigs in a lab experiment. Besides, who knows where that scientist will dump us? Chemicals and gases..." He trailed off, clearly not pleased with Sarah's plan of attack.

"Morgan," Seger said slowly. He had been thinking about this long and hard and had come to a decision. "I think Sarah's right. This is our once in a lifetime chance. If we don't take it, we might regret it later on down the road. If Jarred and Judi can't come back then we might as well go to them." The silence stretched out over them like a blanket. Seger knew he had said the words that haunted Morgan in his sleep: what if they didn't come back?

"What about our parents?" he asked finally.

"We'll tell them we went to Victoria to my parent's friend's house for a bit of sea air," Sarah countered. It was a bit of a poor excuse, but Seger was sure that if his parent's came home soon (which they probably wouldn't) they would gobble up the story quickly and get on track to finding them. It was the best that they would get.

Morgan shifted his gaze between his two young companions before sighing dramatically. "Fine," he said, caving in. "We'll go tomorrow after school. Make sure you bring your Digimon and anything you might need because we're not stopping at home after."

[Heroes]

The next day at school, all Seger could think about was everything that he had packed into his backpack that morning. There were clothes for him and as an afterthought, clothes for Jarred as well. He'd packed food, a flashlight and extra batteries and a couple small trinkets that he hoped would remind him of home. After that, he hadn't been too sure on what else to bring so he left it at that, pleased to find that his bag was not as heavy as he had suspected it to be.

When they met at the front gates after the bell, Seger couldn't help but ogle Sarah's load. She had a large gym bag no doubt stuffed with clothes and make-up and food and Seger wouldn't have been too surprised if there were a couple of magazines in there as well.

"We're going to the Digital World," he reminded her. "Not a summer house in Bermuda."

"I know that," Sarah huffed. Behind her, the girl named Demi, hurried up. She reminded Seger of a small and timid mouse but he dared not say it. There was something about her green eyes that unnerved him and he suspected it was mostly because they reminded him so much of Judi's. The three of them stood outside for five more minutes, shuffling back and forth on their feet in the cool January air, when Morgan pulled up in the Volkswagen. Seger took Sarah's bag from her and after making sure Demi was safely stowed in the cabin of the car, moved around to the trunk.

Inside, crammed rather unceremoniously, were three grumpy Digimon and Morgan's backpack.

"I can't wait to get out of here," PawnChessmon groaned as Seger carefully placed the two bags into the back.

"Soon," the skier assured. He and Sarah had been worrying about how they were to get their Digimon into the lab. For Morgan, it wasn't too much of a problem as Salamon was small enough to pass as a stuffed animal. They had thought about trying to get their Digimon to revert back to one of their previous and smaller forms, but Sarah had stressed the issue on whether or not they would be able to turn back. Deciding not to take the chance, they decided they'd just have to try and smuggle them into the lab unseen.

They rode in almost silence as Demi gave instructions to Morgan, directing him until they were all the way out in Surrey.

"Is it much farther?" Morgan grumbled, but even as he said it Demi directed him into a parking lot that belonged to The Third Degree: Research and Scientific Facility.

"Here we are," Demi announced happily. She pushed open the door of the car and clambered out, waiting for the others to join her. Morgan moved around to the trunk, popping it open and grabbing his backpack and Salamon.

"Hey, Demi," Sarah said as she grabbed her own bag. "We'll meet you up there. Seger and I just have some stuff we have to take over to the recycling depot." She smiled at her friend, who, though looking confused, nodded.

"We'll meet you on the third floor; my dad has the whole space for his research," she said before motioning for Morgan to follow her inside.

Meanwhile, Seger was looking around, rather confused. Recycling depot? That's when he noticed the large building next to The Third Degree was in fact, a bottle depot.

"How did you come up with that excuse?" he asked Sarah as he helped PawnChessmon out of the trunk.

"I did some research last night," Sarah admitted. "It seemed like a good excuse." She grabbed her bag as Biymon shot out of the trunk before locking the car and letting the door with a loud _thunk. _

"Well, let's get going then," Seger said, motioning towards the research facility. "The third floor awaits us."

[Heroes]

The lobby of The Third Degree was strangely empty as Seger and Sarah lugged their Digimon across the marble foyer. They had come up with the excuse that they had built robots to show Dr. Mayflower, but as it turned out, the excuse was not needed. At the elevator, they set down their companions and slipped inside, jabbing the button for the third floor.

Neither spoke of their growing discomfort of the laboratory but as the doors slid open once again, their fears were reflected back to them. The hallway in front of them glowed an eerie blue colour as the four stepped out of the elevator, letting the doors fall shut behind them. The slight hiss of experiments and the bubbling sounds of boiling beakers reminded Seger of every cartoon he had ever watched about science labs. With a reassuring glance from Sarah, the two of them set off down the hallway with their Digimon in tow, glancing into the different rooms for any sign of Demi and Morgan and the Doctor.

At the very end of the hallway, the sound of voices could be heard. Grabbing their hefty partners again, Seger and Sarah stepped through the doorway into a dimly lit room with a very large machine humming all around them.

The laboratory was nothing short of amazing. Huge panels of blinking lights flashed from the wall while what Seger could only guess as a large laser towered above them, aimed at a clearly marked spot on the floor. Dr. Mayflower was conversing with his daughter and Morgan but looked up when Seger and Sarah entered.

"Ah, good, your friends have arrived, dear one," the scientist said with a gap toothed smile. His hair was a dark shade of brown that matched his daughter's and his electric blue eyes winked behind horn-rimmed glasses. His eyes moved to the Digimon secured tightly under their arms. "Your older fiend here was expressing an interest to perhaps be test subjects for me? I was going to just going to use Demi but having more people should be good, yes, good."

Seger couldn't help but stare at the crazy man before them. It was clear to him that he suffered from a mental illness but obviously, Demi didn't see it. She simply beamed in the presence of her father before motioning for them to take up a spot under the laser's huge end.

"I'm so glad you wanted to do this with me, Sarah," Demi said with a smile. "I was just going to ask you to come to see if you wanted to watch but it's even better that we're going together now." Just the words made the hair on the back of Seger's neck stand up as Dr. Mayflower began flicking switches on various panels and typing commands into the computer in front of him. The laser hummed to life and Seger could feel its very power coursing throughout the building. He was tempted to ask the doctor if he had ever tested it on something but a peculiar wind seemed to pick up in the lab, sending papers into a frenzy.

"Good luck, my children," Dr. Mayflower called out over the din. "I wish you good health!" And then, there was a blinding flash of blue light and Seger could see and hear no more.


	13. XII The Runaways

**I'm going to try to update this either once a week or once every two weeks. Hopefully I can finish this story around summer time.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the movie The Runaways, to which this title was named after.

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The night air was crisp and cool against Judi's cheeks as she dashed after Wizardmon, feeling Lilymon's gaze on them from above. She had never felt so simultaneously scared and elated at the same time. Since the run in the field, Judi's legs had been feeling quite ... cramped; the walking was great and all but it was amazing to be running again. It reminded her of when she used to run at the gym with Morgan and Seger and Jarred. They were all training for something different but were all intent on reaching the same goal.

It almost seemed like that was the case here as well. They were all running towards the same base camp, but Judi was sure that no one wanted to get there for the reason that she wanted. Everyone else wanted to get there to be safe, but she wanted to get there so she could try and get an Internet connection and talk to Morgan or Seger or heck, even Sarah. She wanted to feel connected to the real world again.

As they left the empty city behind them, they headed out onto gently sloping plains. Judi wondered how the others were doing, if they were safe. Looking at their situation now, she realized how risky the whole thing was; running all over the Digital World to get to a base camp that was run by a bunch of Digimon who were supposedly out to help them. She couldn't believe how naive she'd been about the whole situation, because if there was anything living in the Digital World had taught the skater, it was that you couldn't trust people as easily as you thought you could.

"Hey, pick it up!" Wizardmon called over his shoulder. Judi rolled her eyes and sped up so that she kept pace with the Digimon.

"So," she said, trying to space out her breathing enough so that she could hold a decent conversation, "where are we heading to? Where's this base camp?"

"Beyond the Great Boreal Forest," Wizardmon replied. "Despite opposing Ceresmon, they do not dare enter the forest for it is said to be haunted." Judi opened her mouth to speak, but Wizardmon held up his hand to stop her. "The spirits that used to call the forest home have passed on to be reborn in Primary Village after a little help from yours truly. There's nothing to be afraid of anymore, but of course, we do not let the Olympians know. It is too risky."

Judi nodded once and glanced around them. There was no forest in sight which meant that they would be running for a while. She sighed heavily, not pleased, before nearly bumping into Wizardmon, who had stopped rather unexpectedly.

"What now?" Judi asked, panting slightly. She could feel her legs cramping up and she winced as she stretched out the muscles, hoping they would start moving soon. Wizardmon, however, seemed unaffected by their sudden stop and was listening intently to something Judi could not hear. The skater was about to say something else when a blast of concentrated energy fried the grass beside them.

"Get down!" Wizardmon hissed, dragging Judi to the ground. He motioned for her to roll towards a small group of shrubs nearby and Judi obliged, trying to keep her head up and spot who had attacked them. It was't until she was safely behind the brush that she managed to catch a glimpse of what was going on.

Some twenty feet from where they had been standing before, a battle was raging. Wizardmon cursed under his breath and Judi followed his gaze as it probed the skies, no dobut searching for Lilymon to make sure she was okay. Blasts of light lit up the darkness as the sky warriors battled against each other and Judi wondered if the tulip fairy was alright or hurt or just plain deleted. The thought made her stomach clench and she could feel Terriermon's heart thumping against her head.

"Can we go around?" she asked quietly as shouts from the battlefield broke the night.

"We'll have to," Wizardmon replied, "but we'll have to give them a wide berth. Hopefully, Lilymon managed to either avoid the attackers or will meet us back at the camp, for we cannot wait for her or risk being found."

Judi nodded, not trusting her voice. She wasn't sure why she was so emotional about the idea of not seeing Lilymon again because they had just met, but it seemed like an unworthy way to perish, in a battle you didn't intend to be part of, defending people that may or may not be able to save your world from destruction.

Wizardmon had begun to crawl out from behind the brush, slinking along the ground like an army cadet and Judi sighed. She was going to get her clothes stained and at the thought, she almost laughed. She hadn't been worried about her appearance in a long time. She felt Terriermon climb off her head and onto her back and she crawled out after the wizard Digimon, praying to anyone who would listen that they wouldn't get caught.

[Heroes]

By some small miracle, Judi, Wizardmon and Terriermon managed to escape the battle unseen. Stray attacks often skirted near them, showering them with bits of grass and dirt as the powerful foes fired wide, their blasts of energy slamming into the earth next to them, but they continued on, pausing when attackers got too near.

Judi had never felt so anxious in her life. She couldn't say that scared was the right emotion, but her heart was beating extremely fast and she felt like she had way too much energy, so she blamed it on anxiety. At any moment, they could have died, but soon, the sounds of the battlefield were left behind and Wizardmon deemed it safe for them to continue running.

"Do we have much farther to go?" Terriermon asked from his spot on Judi's head. "It feels like we've been running forever."

Wizardmon glanced at the sky, calculating carefully. "We've been out for two hours now. If run into no more trouble, then we should be there in another two."

However, it was as if a jinx had been set upon them as Wizardmon spoke the words, for not one hour later, the travelers were faced with a second ominous sight. A tent rose out of the ground, light pouring out into the darkness from the gap in the walls where the flap wavered gently in the breeze. Wizardmon slowed down, Judi following suit as they drew nearer, keeping a wary eye out for any danger. Their eyesight was not nearly as good as they had thought, though, for two large shapes dropped from the sky, surprising all three of them.

"Bunny Blast!" Terriermon was the first to recover, spiting out an attack which one of the guards deflected easily. From the faint light from the tent, Judi was able to make out the shape of a very large bird, something like a duck or a goose. However, as she continued to gaze at the figures she began to make out what appeared to be a swan.

"Cease fire," one of the swans said, spreading its wings imposingly. "Lady Venusmon requests for the female Tamer to join her in her tent."

Wizardmon paused, clearly unsure of the situation, but then slowly lowered his staff, which he had brought up to defend himself. "Lady Venusmon, you say?" he asked. "Did she know we would pass through this way?"

The other swan laughed. "Lady Venusmon knows all, general," it said. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we cannot hope to leave the Lady waiting any longer or else she will be quite cross."

Judi found the swan's manner of speaking quite amusing and she held back a bark of laughter as she glanced at Wizardmon. "She's on our side," the wizard said finally and Judi nodded, stepping towards the swans.

"Your partner must wait here with the wizard," one of the swans said and Judi felt Terriermon stiffen.

"But-" Judi began.

"No exceptions," the swan continued. "No harm will come to you if you cooperate."

Judi felt the anger bubble inside her, but she obliged, carefully removing Terriermon from her head and passing her to Wizardmon. Who did this Venusmon think she was? Did she not know that they had to get back to the camp or else the others would worry? And what about Lilymon? The skater scowled as she followed the swans into the tent, stunned momentarily by the lights. When her eyes had adjusted, however, she saw an amazing sight.

The tent was much larger on the inside than it had looked on the outside and it looked like a salon, the kinds of places that Judi was sure Sarah enjoyed spending time in. The entire thing reminded her a bit too much of a horror film, where the young girls went in to get dolled up and instead got killed. The salon appeared to be empty at first glance but after paying more attention, Judi noticed a lady lounging on a couch, her angel wings spread out around her.

"Lady Venusmon, may I present to you the female Tamer," one of the swans announced, bowing deeply to the figure on the couch. Judi was compelled to bow as well, but she refrained, straightening her back as if to oppose the thought.

"Thank-you, Swanmons," Venusmon replied, waving them away. The two Swanmons bowed again and backed out of the tent, leaving Judi to face the Olympian alone. A silence stretched between them and Judi wondered if this was one of those situations where you were supposed to speak or wait to be spoken to. Thankfully, though, Venusmon made that decision for her.

"Judi," she drawled. "Come here, darling. There's much I want to say to _you."_The skater couldn't help but feel a little nervous about the situation, but she crossed the room and took a seat on the couch opposite the godly lady. Venusmon sat up, straightening her light blue dress carefully. "Excellent," she said. "I'm glad that you could make it. I've been meaning to get to get together with you for a while now."

"What do you really want?" Judi asked, watching the Olympian closely. "If you didn't already know, we were kind of busy when you decided to interrupt us."

Venusmon laughed. "Oh, I know that you're on your way back to camp, but one little chat with me won't hurt, will it?"

Judi was tempted to say, 'yes', but bit her tongue. She had a feeling the conversation would turn nasty if she did so. "Just spit it out then," she said.

"What a feisty one," Venusmon said. "No wonder Seger and Liam are so clearly infatuated with you."

Judi stiffened in her seat. "What?" she asked, her voice coming out more like a whisper.

Venusmon smiled. "Ah, I knew I'd hit your heartstrings with that. You're so blind, you silly girl. Have you honestly not seen that your best friend has been in love with you for practically all your lives? Or what about that boy you're with now, Liam. He's so clearly into you. The only thing now, is making a choice."

"I don't have to choose either of them," Judi replied, finding her footing again in the conversation. "I don't like either of them that way."

A cold and bitter laugh seemed to chill the tent. "What a lie," Venusmon said. "She doesn't like either of them, hah. Maybe you don't notice, but Seger sure pays attention when you talk to Liam, when you devote time to him. And Liam spends so much time wondering what it would be like to be your best friend instead of Seger, to get to spend countless number of hours with you every day."

"Seger and I ... we're just ... we weren't even on speaking terms before I was brought here. I highly doubt he's 'in love' with me." But even as Judi said it, she wondered. She would never be able to pinpoint her relationship with Seger because it wavered on every line that could ever be drawn. He was her best friend, like a second brother, but sometimes, she felt it. It was when they hugged a little longer than normal or when he would grab her hand and laced their fingers together. It was when she would look at him and smile or when she knew he was in the stands cheering her on at a skating competition. She didn't dare to admit it with Venusmon present, but she often wondered if maybe she and Seger could amount to something more.

"And what about you?" Venusmon asked. Her hand had tightened around an icy looking wand which she scraped along Judi's cheek. The skin felt frozen and Judi sucked in a breath, challenging the goddess's equally cold gaze.

"What about me?" she asked quietly.

"I can see that you like Liam, that you would date him, but it's just a crush. It will pass. But you want to feel connected to someone, want to feel appreciate and loved by people whom you can love back. But at the same time, I see the want in your eyes, the way they light up when I mention Seger. He is the one that your heart desires, but you will never admit it to yourself, much less me."

"Are we done here?" Judi asked as she stood abruptly, her face burning.

"Only if you wish it to be," Venusmon replied with a light laugh. "But you know, Judi, that you'll have to pick one or the other. Imagine how heart broken Seger will be when you pick Liam over him, the underdog over the best friend. Or imagine Liam's life when he looks back and thinks of you, how he'll resent Seger for always having you."

"Seger doesn't own me," Judi replied sharply. "I make my own decisions."

"Of course you do, dear," Venusmon said. "And soon, you will have to make the most important one of all."

[Heroes]

Judi figured that if they hadn't had to have dealt with the battle and Venusmon, they would have arrived on time to Wizardmon's calculations. However, it was quite late when they got back, well past dawn and Judi could just imagine the look on Jarred's face as they made their way through the trees of the Boreal Forest and out into the wide field on the other side where the camp was set up.

The tents that dotted the landscape were much like the one that Judi had met Venusmon in, though the skater was sure that none of them housed salons. Digimon of all shapes and sizes milled about, conversing with each other in low voices and obviously quite anxious. When they spotted Wizardmon and Judi, however, they stopped, their eyes widening.

"You're back!" a voice called and Judi turned to see Kazemon fluttering towards them. "No offense, Wizardmon, but we thought you guys were goners when Lilymon came back without you."

"She's back then?" Judi asked, glancing at Wizardmon who looked just as relieved as she felt.

"Yeah, of course," Kazemon said, chattering on. "We all made it back late last night. What happened to you guys?"

"We got a little sidetracked," Wizardmon admitted. Judi had a feeling that telling the wrong people about their encounter with Venusmon would be a bad idea. Just because the Olympian was supposedly on their side did not make it safe to spread things around the camp. "We met up unexpectedly with someone and we stayed to chat probably longer than necessary."

"Probably," Kazemon confirmed. "Everyone's waiting for you. We're having breakfast ... geeze, you guys must be hungry, eh?"

While Judi hadn't really noticed it when they had been on the run, she was feeling famished. She hadn't eaten in a while and wasn't surprised to see much of the food already gone from the breakfast table when Kazemon led them into the tent where Jasmine, Jarred and Liam sat.

"Judi!" the three of them cried, jumping to their feet. Jarred, who was closest, quickly wrapped the skater in an embrace, effectively crushing Terriermon between them.

"Ger'off!" Terriermon's cries were fertile as the others joined the hug, clearly relieved to see their friend alive and well.

"Judi we all thought ..." Jasmine began, but then cut herself short. They all knew the unanswered ending to the sentence, knew exactly what the young girl was going to say. It hung between them for a moment before Terriermon's muffled cries snapped their attention back to the matter at hand and they broke apart, the rabbit-like Digimon dropping to the floor.

"Gah, you guys are too sappy," Terriermon whined, but he looked just as glad as the others to be reunited again. He spotted the food on the low table though, and dove towards it, stuffing half an orange into his mouth. Judi eyed the food as well but settled down in a bit more of a dignified manner, and soon they were all crowded around the table again, laughing and joking as if nothing bad had ever happened to them the previous night.

"Have you had long to look around this place?" Judi asked as she bit into her blueberry muffin.

Liam shook his head. "We got here pretty late last night and then we all hit the hay, we were so tired from travelling. We just got up about an hour before you got here, so we've basically only been from our tents to this one."

Judi nodded slowly, swallowing and clearing her throat. "Have you heard anything ... interesting?" She didn't really know what classified as 'interesting', but she was eager to keep the conversation going or else she was going to nod off in the middle of breakfast.

"Just the occasional talk about battles that are going on over the Digital World. It seems that we were pretty lucky before; none of the war had reached out towards us. I heard it was all on this side of the abandoned city," Jarred said. "From what I've heard, the Digimon split off into groups and go patrolling. They battle any Digimon they find and delete them."

"Couldn't they just bring them back to camp?" Judi asked, horrified.

Jarred shook his head sadly. "If the prisoners were to escape, they'd know that the Boreal Forest isn't haunted anymore and they'd tell their generals. Our base wouldn't be safe anymore."

It made sense to Judi, but she didn't like the idea of Digimon fighting to the death because of a problem that they, as Tamers, had caused. She was about to open her mouth again to speak when the flap of the tent shifted and Lilymon stepped in. There was a look on her face that Judi couldn't place; on one hand, it was happy, but on the other it was a little forlorn looking.

"There's been talk that four humans have arrived in the Digital World," she said, "and three of them come bearing Digimon."


	14. XIII Stop the World

**Long time no speak! I want to apologize for my prolonged absence but school and other interests kept me from writing. I hope to be updating all my chapter stories (ones hosted off site as well) this summer so be on the lookout for more updates. On with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Stop the World of which this chapter was named after.**

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The Digital World was definitely a lot plainer than Seger had expected it to be. They were standing in what appeared to be a desert, the far off mountains glittering in the pale afternoon sunlight. Seger glanced to his right, glad to see that Morgan and Salamon were still there, before checking to his left, his eye catching sight of PawnChessmon, Sarah, Biyomon and Demi.

"So," Morgan said, breaking the silence. He coughed slightly, the dry air tickling the back of his throat. "Somehow I thought it would be more …"  
"Like home?" Sarah suggested.

"Er, sure," Morgan said, glancing around. Seger certainly had his doubts. They were now stranded in the middle of the desert and he was sure that if it weren't for the swirling lines of fractal code in the sky, they could just be somewhere in Nevada.

"I guess we should get out of here," Sarah said, breaking the silence. She was clearly looking around for a destination to walk towards, but the only thing for miles appeared to be the mountains. The rest of their line of sight was taken up by sand, more sand than Seger ever hoped to see in his life.  
"What's that?" Biyomon asked, nodding her pink feathered head towards something that was behind the skier. The group turned automatically, kicking up clouds of sand in their wake and gazed out across the desert.

Approaching quickly was a large cloud of dust. Seger recognized it as the sort of clouds that you kicked up while you were moving quickly, having observed enough skiers in his time to be able to transfer the knowledge to their current setting.

"Something's coming," he said quietly. He glanced at the others, looking to see their reactions, when he realized something was wrong. "Where's Demi?" he asked, craning his neck in the other direction for any sign of the girl who had brought them there. She would have been easy to spot in the desert but there was no indication that she was anywhere in the vicinity.

"She was here just a moment ago," Sarah objected but Morgan cut her off.

"We have more pressing matters," he said. "That dust cloud will be on us in a minute."

It seemed to dawn on the group that they were about to immerse themselves in their first Digital World experience. PawnChessmon, Biyomon and Salamon took up defensive positions, their expressions wary as they watched the approaching dust cloud.

"By my calculations we have five … four …" PawnChessmon's voice sounded strained as he fought to be heard over the soft thud of feet approaching. " … three … two … one."

The Tamers and their Digimon were thrust into chaos. Seger had but one glimpse what looked like tall, metal beetle creatures before he was thrust to the ground by PawnChessmon who them promptly yelled, "Pawn Spear!" and jabbed at one of the attacking Digimon. They continued to battle as Biyomon soared above their heads, releasing green spirals of fire, and Salamon let loose a high pitched screech that stalled the enemy in their tracks.

Seger crawled through the sand towards where Sarah and Morgan had managed to huddle behind a small sand dune. Sarah had pulled out her Digivice and was now consulting it as the battle raged on before them.

After another moment, the device lit up and Seger and Morgan leaned in to get a better look. "Kokuwamon, Rookie level. They're not supposed to be aggressive, so what are they doing now?" Morgan asked as he read the description of the metal bugs.

"Beats me," Sarah replied. "But if we don't do something quickly then we're going to be in deep trouble. Our Digimon are getting pounded out there!"

Sure enough, their Digimon certainly seemed to be taking quite a beating. There were several dents in PawnChessmon's armour and Biyomon had landed on the ground, one of her wings held at an awkward angle. Salamon had been swallowed by the crowd to the extent that she couldn't even be seen anymore.

"Salamon!" Morgan shouted, concern rising in his voice. Instantly, a few of the Kokuwamon turned their mechanical heads to stare at the teenager who had risen slightly from the sand.

"Morgan," Sarah hissed, tugging on his shirt and dragging him back to the ground. But it was too late. A small troop of Kokuwamon had detached themselves from the main group and were stomping their way through the sand towards them.

Quick as a flash, Morgan's little Digimon disentangled herself from her own legs and raced forwards to defend her Tamer. "Sledge Crash," she cried, ramming into the nearest Kokuwamon.

"Power Surge!" Several of the metal bug-like Digimon let loose bolts of lightning from the horns glued to their heads. Seger felt Sarah turn her gaze away as Salamon shrieked in pain, accompanied by Morgan's own yells of despair.

Suddenly, a bright white light overcame Salamon's smolderig body. The Tamers as well as the Kokuwamon watched in awed silence as the Digimon continued to glow.

"Morgan," Sarah whispered. "Look at your Digivice!"

Sure enough, Moran's handheld device was emitting a light green beam of light. Instinctively, he aimed it at Salamon and let out a yelp of surprise when her form began to glow the same colour as the beam.

"Salamon Digivolve to … Gatomon!"

Salamon's Digivolution was a little astounding. Seger and Sarah had both anticipated another dog-like creature to stand in her wake, but Gatomon was far from dog. In fact, she was a cat, pure white in colour with a long striped tail and huge gloved paws which she effectively put to use, slashing at the Kokuwamon who yelped and wailed and promptly retreated.

"Alright, Gatomon!" Morgan cheered as his partner charged back into battle to aid Biyomon and PawnChessmon.

His joy was short lived, however. No matter what Seger and Sarah did, they could not get their own Digimon to Digivolve. It wasn't long before they were getting swamped again and Seger could not help but feel that this would be the worst entrance into the Digital World by humans in the entire history of the universe.

"Do you hear something … buzzing?" Sarah asked from behind her hands which she was using to cover her eyes from the sights of the battle.

Seger opened his mouth to retort but promptly shut it again. Now that Sarah mentioned it, he did hear a buzzing sound, like an over-grown fly. He turned his head sharply and ducked just in time: a large fairy-like Digimon had just soared over his head and landed amongst the fray, quickly followed by a second fairy, though she looked more like a giant pink tulip with wings than anything, Seger figured.

There was a flash to his right and a small cloaked wizard disappeared into the swarm of Kokuwamon. With these new allies helping out, PawnChessmon, Biyomon and Gatomon made quick work of the remaining mechanical bugs. Seger cheered, feeling Sarah hug him tightly in her joy, but the smile was wiped from his face almost immediately. The newcomers turned quickly on them and their Digimon stood their ground, growling and attempting to sound menacing.

"Stand down, brave ones," the wizard said. "We are not here to hurt you."

"Who are you then?" Morgan asked, stepping forward slightly so that he partially shielded Seger and Sarah. "And what do you want?"

"To take you to where your friends are," the tulip girl said. "I am Lillymon and these are my comrades Kazemon and Wizardmon." The second fairy and the wizard waved as their names were mentioned, grinning somewhat cheerfully given the situation.

"How do we know we can trust you?" Seger asked, prying himself from Sarah's grip. "How do we know you're not going to just finish us off in the dead of night or something?" His blue eyes roamed the motley group in front of him and he swore he heard the Digimon named Kazemon whisper, "She said he'd be suspicious." The skier was about to open his mouth to retort when Wizardmon held up his hand.

"This is the best I can offer as proof," he said, tossing something towards Seger, who caught it easily. "You with the suspicious mind might think that I simply looted this off your friend, but I believe she left you a message inside in hopes that you would join us."

With Morgan and Sarah gazing over his shoulders, Seger opened his clenched fist to reveal the cheap, golden, heart-shaped necklace Seger had won for Judi at Playland when they had been six. She wore it every single day and as far as he knew, she had been wearing it when she disappeared. Glancing warily at Wizardmon, Seger pushed it open with his thumb, snatching up the tightly folded piece of paper that fell out. His own face was staring back at him from the back of the locket, accompanied by Judi's. The picture had been taken a few days before they had gotten in a fight and it made Seger ache a bit inside.

A sharp elbow to his ribs snapped Seger out of his revere. He glanced sheepishly at Morgan before unfolding the note. In Judi's hastily scribbled handwriting were two words: _trust me. _Judi would have known that when the Tamers met Wizardmon and his companions they would have a hard time trusting him, but Seger could not help but remain cautious. He had but only a small idea of what these creatures were capable of.

"Let's say we accept your help," Sarah said, surprising Seger. "You have to help our friend Demi too. She came with us to the Digital World but when those Kokuwamon attacked us she disappeared. We have no idea where she went."

Wizardmon and Lillymon exchanged worried glances while Kazemon rose into the air.

"I cannot do anything for your friend for I fear she was a spy. We should leave immediately," Wizardmon said quietly. "We have already wasted too much time. If I had known …"

"Too late," Kazemon said, landing with enough force to stir up a small cloud of sand. "We've got company."

A second cloud of dust was winding its way towards the Tamers and their guard, though it was moving much faster than the Kokuwamon had. Whoever was creating it was extremely nimble, setting everyone on edge again. The attacker stopped, showering them with sand, which was cleared quickly by Kazemon.

Standing in front of them was what looked like a ten-year-old girl, but Seger knew better after meeting Venusmon. The girl had long blue hair braided tightly at the sides of her head and gold plated armour. Her boots were a striking mixture of black and red that matched the designs embedded in the great sword she held at her side.

"Going somewhere?" she asked with a cackle that did not suit her. "Let me take those Tamers off your hands. Jupitermon is most interested in them."

"Back off, Minervamon," Lillymon said venomously. "You Olympians are letting your pride and your ignorance blind you. The Tamers are needed together to find the Flame."

Minervamon scowled and swung her sword up to meet with Lillymon's stomach. "You _will _give me the Tamers," she growled, "or I will skewer you."

"Their lives are far more important than mine," she replied. "Now, Wizardmon!"

Seger had been so entranced by the conversation being held between Lillymon and Minervamon, he hadn't noticed Wizardmon, who had been circling them quickly, spreading dust from a small pouch at his waist and murmuring words under his breath. At Lillymon's command he drove his scepter into the ground, resulting in a blinding flash. Seger had one opportunity to see Minervamon shriek in outrage before he couldn't see anything but blackness.

[Heroes]

"Judi, maybe you should step outside and get some fresh air."

The skater looked up from the table she was sitting at towards Liam who was watching her anxiously.

"Yeah, you know, maybe that's a good idea," she said. Her stomach felt like it was tied in a serious of complicated and unrelenting knots and one glance at Jarred told her he was feeling the same. The news that four humans had arrived in the Digital World meant only one thing to Judi: that Seger, Morgan and Sarah had arrived. She didn't know who the other person could be, but frankly, she didn't care. She'd be glad enough just to see Sarah, whom she had never really had a fondness for.

Standing shakily, Judi edged herself out of the tent with Terriermon on her shoulder. She had not had time to explore the camp very thoroughly and the only thing driving her towards the forest was her memory of it from that morning. The trees comforted her in the sea of tents; they were at least something she could relate to.

"Is that Kazemon coming out of the trees?" Terriermon asked, tapping Judi with one of his long, floppy ears.

Judi looked up, her bright green eyes seeking the purple-haired fairy. Sure enough, she was emerging through the trees looking battered and bruised.  
"Kazemon!" Judi shouted, bounding towards her friend. She reached her just in time to catch the tired figure from falling to the ground.  
"Judi," Kazemon gasped as the Tamer lowered her slowly to the grass. "Wow, what a rough rescue mission."

"So, you found them then?" Judi asked, trying to keep the excitement from her voice.

Kazemon smiled a little. "Yeah, but we only nearly got away. We were ambushed by one of the Olympus Twelve. If it weren't for Wizardmon, we'd all be goners, but even so, his magic seemed a little too potent. Everyone else is passed out in the forest. I came to get help."

"I'll go," Judi said automatically as a Gomamon came shuffling forward to help Kazemon.

"Judi, don't," Kazemon said. "You don't know what's in that forest."

"I came through it this morning with Wizardmon," the skater said defensively.

"Exactly," the fairy retorted. "You came through it with _Wizardmon_. Nothing would have touched you with him around." But Judi had heard enough. With a meaningful look at the Gomamon who began to lead the tired Kazemon towards a few more Digimon who were rushing out to help, Judi disappeared into the forest.

Despite it being mid-afternoon, the denseness of the Boreal Forest let in as much light as there had been early that morning. Judi pushed her way through the trees, following Terriermon's instructions as he scouted out the path that Kazemon had likely taken.

"The branches are broken here too, Judi," he called from up ahead. "I think this is the right way." Judi followed the little rabbit-like Digimon, but she couldn't help but think about what Kazemon had said. There were supposedly no ghosts in this forest, but she had no idea what kind of rogue Digital Monsters might live there either.

Judi had just realized she could no longer hear Terriermon when someone grabbed her from behind. She made to shriek but a hand covered her mouth, muffling the sound.

"Shhh," the voice said and Judi recognized it. Turning, she was very surprised to see Ben O'Brien standing behind her.

"Ben!" she exclaimed, but he held his finger to his lips. "I thought … I thought you were just a dream. I mean, I thought that you being here was just a dream."

Ben grinned his trademark mischievous grin and said, "Can't get rid of me that easily Miss Gretzinger."

"Hey," Judi said, "you haven't happened to have seen Seger or Sarah around here anywhere, have you? They just-" But Ben shook his head.

"Listen, Judi," he said. "I can't stay long. I'm already pushing it as it is, but you need to use that Manteiopter, and soon. That war I told you about? If we're not quick, it's going to blow full scale soon and the Olympians aren't going to care if they have the Tamers or not. You guys have to put an end to it." The look on his face was a mixture of anxiousness and … pain.

"Ben, are you alright?" Judi asked and the boy shook his head.

"Ah, no," he hissed, gripping her shoulders tightly. "Listen, just use it quick and …" He snapped his fingers weakly and a path seemed to illuminate itself in the dense foliage. "Use that path to find your friends. I got to go." He kissed her forehead, shocking Judi into silence and disappeared into the trees behind him. It took only a moment for his footsteps to fade to nothing.

[Heroes]

Judi followed Ben's path in silence. Sure enough, it led her straight to Terriermon, who was already waiting with a conscious Lillymon and Sarah.

"Judi!" Sarah exclaimed, and despite the fact that they had never really been friends, the girl threw herself upon the skater, who hugged her back fiercely.

"Sarah!" Judi squeaked from between the hug. "Are you okay? Do you need anything? Are you hurt?"

Sarah laughed. "I'm fine. I could maybe do with a lie-down once we get out of this forest, but yeah, I'm pretty good thanks." She released Judi from her embrace and glanced back over her shoulder. Judi followed her gaze and felt the knots in her stomach tighten. Her brother and best friend were still sprawled on the ground, their Digimon and Wizardmon next to them.

"Boys," the skater said weakly. "Always lying down on the job."

Sarah smiled consolingly and went back to sit beside Lillymon, who looked about as bad as Kazemon had.

"When Kazemon went to get help, I was expecting Leomon or Darcmon. Not you," she said a little sharply.

"Well, _sorry_," Judi retorted. "My help is better than no help, am I right?" Lillymon didn't say anything but shifted slightly as Wizardmon began to stir.

"Oh," he groaned. "Did we make it?"

"Indeed we did," Lillymon said, helping Wizardmon sit up. When he saw Seger and Morgan still unconscious next to him though, he sprang to his feet, snatching up his scepter from the ground.

"I knew some of them wouldn't be able to handle it well," Wizardmon muttered and he began to wave his wand over them, saying words under his breath. There was a soft glow around each of the boys before their eyes opened and they sat up.

"Wow, I feel like I went through a blender or something," Morgan muttered, grabbing his head. "Where are we?"

"The Boreal Forest," Judi said before she could stop herself.

Her brother looked up, his eyes seeking out the voice he had yearned to hear in person after a long and tumultuous week.

"Judi," Morgan breathed, sounding relieved. Shakily he pushed himself to his feet and stumbled over to his sister, wrapping her in his arms.

"Where did you say we were?" Seger asked from behind Morgan.

Letting go reluctantly, Judi slipped out from under her brother's arms and dropped to her knees beside her best friend, throwing her arms around his neck. Seger looked a little taken a back but quickly let his arms hug Judi in return. It felt good to not be fighting anymore.

"The Boreal Forest," Judi repeated, helping Seger to his feet. "Jarred and Liam are back at the camp, along with this girl I know from the skating club named Jasmine."

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Jasmine since breakfast," Terriermon said thoughtfully.

"She probably went to play with some of the other Digimon," Judi said. "I don't blame her. This must be a very traumatizing experience for her."

"Enough of the chit chat," Wizardmon announced. "I have important things I need to share with general." With help from Lillymon, he stood, motioning for the others to follow him through the forest.

Despite the fact that they had just been reuinited, Judi found she could not think of a single thing to say to brother, best friend or acquaintance. It was like the forest had sucked all the words out of her mouth. Terriermon, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying himself as he chatted happily with Biyomon, PawnChessmon and Gatomon.

When they emerged from the forest, a large group of Digimon were already waiting for them. Judi recongized Kyubimon and Leomon amonst the crowd and could see Jarred and Liam running down the hill from their tent.

"Let us through, please," Lillymon announced, parting the Digimon before her and letting the Tamers walk down the newly parted walkway. Seger rushed off to meet his brother and Morgan hurried after him, eager to reunited with his best friend. Judi could tell Sarah was feeling a little awkward, like a third wheel to all the happy reunions, so Judi took her by the wrist and led her over to where Liam was standing.

"So, we're all here now," Liam said as Sarah and Judi arrived at his side. "Something's going to happen, isn't it?"

"Something always does," Judi replied quietly. Even as she said it, though, she felt Kyubimon brushing past her, growling low. The skater turned, watching as the flaming fox advanced towards the front of the crowd where something was causing an uproar.

Suddenly, a giant snake reared above the crowd. Judi heard Sarah shriek and latch tightly onto her arm. Attacks rained down on it but above the noise, the Tamers could just hear it yelling for truce.

There was a pause in the attacks and a murmur swept through the crowd as three figures made their way towards the snake. Judi recognized Wizardmon in his shabby coat and his short demeanour, but the others she did not know.

One was a evidently a girl with her long flowing hair and and patterned battle skirt flowing around her as she walked. She had four large feathered wings extending from her back and a red sash tied around her head. In one hand she held a staff, similar to Wizardmon's, while the other gripped the pommel of a sword at her hip.

The final figure was clearly the leader of the entire camp, the one that had not been able to make it to rescue Judi, Jarred, Liam and Jasmine on their night in the concrete city. Armour covered every inch of his body and a long red cape billowed behind him.

"General Gallantmon. Lieutenant Darcmon. And you brought Wizardmon. Charming," the snake hissed, leering at the trio as they stepped forward.

"Sandiramon, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Gallantmon asked, his voice low and hollow sounding from under his helmet.

"Simply a warning from my master," Sandiramon replied. "He wishes you to know that you must prepare for battle, for the Olympians are ready to start war."


	15. XIV The Ugly Truth

**So my apologies for the delay. We went on a two week vacation so no writing for me. Hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

The camp was buzzing with activity the next day. Gallantmon, who never really seemed to be around, had ordered that everyone prepared for battle.

"We've got no definite allegiance," Kazemon said to Judi one day as she outfitted the Tamer with armour. "We're just going in so that we can buy you guys enough time."

"Enough time for what?" Judi asked, wincing slightly as Kazemon yanked on a buckle.

"Sorry," the Digimon said. "And to find the Flame. That's the whole reason the Olympians are fighting. We know none of you guys stole it, but you're the ones that have to retrieve it."

"Oh," Judi said quietly, twisting in the mirror to examine the armour. It was bronze in colour and came in the form of a breast plate, wrist and ankle guards. The Tamer figured she looked a bit like a Roman warrior and she grinned at herself in the mirror, pushing her hair out of her face.

The flap of the tent opened and Judi's eyes snapped towards the new figure in the mirror. Seger stared back at her, eyes wide, before he dropped his gaze, mumbling a hello to Kazemon and asking to be fitted as well. Judi took this as the perfect opportunity to escape and thanked the winged Digimon before making herself scarce.

The awkwardness between Judi and Seger stuck out like a sore thumb and neither Judi nor Seger were very pleased about it.

"Why don't you guys just talk?" Morgan had asked his sister that morning. "I mean, isn't that what you guys usually do?"

"Yeah," Judi said, "but he's acting all weird around me." She saw Morgan's eyebrows raise and she jabbed him with her elbow. "Oh shush," she said, but even so, she couldn't help the small grin appear on her face.

Judi had made it a priority to stay out of Seger's way while they worked at the camp, but the swordsmanship class they attended in the afternoon left no room for avoiding. Gallantmon stood waiting for the group and they lined up in front of him quietly.

"We do not expect you to fight in the war," Gallantmon said, his voice deep and echoing. His eyes seemed to travel to Jasmine who was trembling slightly in the presence of the general. "However, Darcmon and I have deemed it a good idea to teach you sword play in case the need arises. You are to set out on a perilous journey and must be prepared."

"We haven't really discussed anything about this 'perilous journey'," Jarred said. He sounded like he was lost between demanding and being polite, not being sure how to address the general properly.

"In time, Jarred," Gallantmon replied. "For now, we battle."

Judi was extremely relieved to be paired with Sarah for the training exercises. The idea of trying to run Seger through with a sword with all the pent up tension between them did not appeal to her at all.

"So," Judi said, dodging Sarah's swing. The sword she held appeared to be a little too heavy for her and her downswings came fast and hard.

"So what?" Judi countered, bringing her own sword around and letting it clash against her opponent's, the sound harsh to her ears.

"This is really happening," Sarah said. "We're really part of a war in a place called the Digital World. And we have Digimon and … yeah."

"I guess so," Judi replied with a short burst of laughter that was cut off abruptly by Sarah's counter attack.

"And you and Seger?" Sarah cautiously.

Judi shrugged as she jumped back from the other girl's sword. "Same as before I came here: tense and awkward."

"You should try and fix things," Sarah advised. Judi cocked an eyebrow. This piece of advice was coming from a girl that, for as long as Judi could remember, worshipped the very ground that her best friend walked upon. Judi had always been the one major factor that many other girls saw as an obstacle when vying for Seger's affection; get rid of the best friend and you had a clear shot at the prize. To hear Sarah advising Judi to reconcile with Seger was a little shocking.

"I know what you're thinking," Sarah said and Judi could catch just a hint of bitterness in her voice, "but we need to be a team if we want to defeat the Olympians and save this world and go home. We're only as strong as we are divided, or something like that."

Judi smiled. "Yeah, I guess so, but-" She was cut off by the sounds of screaming Digimon from the camp. Everyone stopped what they were doing, whirling on the spot to see a figure blasting her way through the tents towards them.

"Stand back," Gallantmon ordered immediately and Sarah and Judi raced towards their friends who were huddled behind the knight-like Digimon. As the Digimon approached, Judi could see that it was Venusmon, and immediately, a sense of loathing exploded inside her. Though she refused to acknowledge it properly, Judi knew that it was created mostly out of spite and denial; she could not forget the last conversation she had had with the Olympian.

"Gallantmon," Venusmon cooed as she approached. "So nice to see you again, though I can't fathom _why _you'd be protecting those little scum bags; they must be a real burden to you. Look at how they hold their ickle little swords." Venusmon cackled, sending everyone into a round of shivers.

"What do you want, Venusmon?" Gallantmon asked wearily.

"Only a word," the Olympian replied.

"Then it will have to go through me first," Gallantmon said.

"Oh, honey," Venusmon drawled, her scepter glittering in the sun. "You don't want to defy me."

"Just try me," Gallantmon roared. He lunged forward, but with speed more incredible than anything Judi had ever seen, Venusmon had aimed her wand at their protector and frozen him with a thin beam of ice.

"Gallantmon!" Jasmine shouted, beginning to step forward. Jarred threw an arm around her, keeping her firmly in place.

Venusmon admired her handy-work, tilting her head back and forth so that different aspects of her new ice sculpture glittered and sparkled. However, her attention was soon drawn from the Digimon to the Tamers.

"Some familiar faces, I see," Venusmon said, nodding towards the group. "Seger, nice to see you again."

Beside her, Seger flushed red, his eyes burning with anger. When had he talked to Venusmon? Judi asked this to herself as she watched Venusmon step forwards. Instinctively, her hand reached for his but at the last moment, she stopped herself. None of her friends seemed to notice, but the act was not missed by the Olympian. She sneered, sensing Judi's fear and said, "Seger, darling, come here."

"Don't," Jarred ordered sharply, but his brother had already stepped forward, clearly set on gaining information from the intruder.  
"What?" the skier spat, his hands balling into fists.

Venusmon closed the distance between them easily, circling him like a predator in for the kill.

"No wonder you have so many girls after you," the Olympian said finally, pausing in front of Seger and lifting his chin with a perfectly manicured nail. Defiantly, Seger smacked it away. The edge of an eyebrow could just be seen above Venusmon's dove mask, but she smiled. "But of course, you only have eyes for one. Too bad she just doesn't quite feel the same …"

"Stop," Seger snarled, stepping backward. Venusmon, however did not pursue him. She stood still, cocking her head to the side. "Denial, Seger Davis?" The distance between them expanded as Seger continued his retreat, keeping an eye on Venusmon all the while.

Maybe it was a sixth sense or maybe it was just from being in the Digital World for what felt like ages, but Judi suddenly could see what was going to happen before it happened. In a split second she darted out from behind Morgan, past Jarred and Jasmine, and flung herself in front of Seger just as Venusmon cried out, "Jalousie de peur!"

The bright pink beam of light penetrated Judi in the chest and she collapsed, Seger catching her just before she hit the ground.

Instantly, the Tamers' Digimon sprang into action. They surged forward, aiming attacks at the Olympian, who deflected them easily, but soon, the motley group was not the only attacking force. Many of the Digimon from the camp came surging down the hill towards the battle.

"Judi!" Seger's voice was strung high with panic as the others clustered around him and the shaking girl in his arms. Judi had paled considerably, her skin the colour of chalk, but she shook like a leaf. Was this what he had looked like the day in front of the theatre? One look at Sarah's face and Seger's thoughts were confirmed. It was terrifying, looking at his best friend so vulnerable in his arms, but Seger knew better. The only thing they could do to help Judi now would be to wait.

[Heroes]

The world was nothing but inky blackness for but a moment. Judi watched closely as a scene began to take place in front of her. It was blurry at first, as if it were out of focus, and slowly it began to solidify. Colours began to sharpen and shapes took form. Before too long, it was clear to Judi that she was standing at the edge of a waterfall, caught in the middle of the torrent on a rock that jutted out picturesquely from the falls. Below her seemed to be miles of open air and beside her, the banks seemed lifetimes away.

The waterfall thundered behind Judi, the crashing of the waves flooding her ears, but still she was able to make out the sound of rustling trees from her right. She turned, instinctively, to see Venusmon make her way out of the foliage followed closely by two boys. Judi didn't even have to look to know that it was Liam and Seger whom the Olympian led.

"I'll save the idle chit chat," Venusmon said. Despite the fact that she spoke without shouting, Judi could still hear her as if she stood on the rock with her. "This task is simple, Judi. You pick a boy to come rescue you."

Judi paused, her eyes flickering between her best friend and the boy she had liked for almost two years now.

"What's the catch?" she asked warily.

Venusmon smiled and gestured to the water that separated them. It rushed past them and Judi couldn't even fathom how many gallons of water were toppling off the edge at that moment. The current would be incredibly strong.

"This vine," Venusmon said, waving a hand airily and allowing a dark green vine to materialize, "will allow the boy of your choice to come out to that rock and rescue you. However, it will only take one of you back across the water. The other will either be left on that rock where you stand, or swept over the falls."

"What if I decide not to choose?" Judi asked immediately, her chest constricting. She knew that whichever boy she chose, they would stay on that rock and see her to safety. But she couldn't choose. She couldn't endanger another life for her own, much less those of her friends. Despite her defiance though, Judi couldn't help but think: which one would she choose?

"Then I'll push them both in and not only will they be lost to you, but you'll die on that rock alone and lonely."

"And if I jump?" Judi could see the way that both Seger and Liam tensed at her suggestion, but Venusmon shrugged.

"Then you die. And I let these boys live with broken hearts and withered souls. Would you really take the easy way out, Judi? I thought you were braver than that."

Judi shook her head slowly. There was no loop hole she could crawl through. There was no light at the end of the tunnel. She had to choose either her own death or one of the boys and as selfish as it sounded, she would rather choose her own. One life for the price of two.

"You will have to choose eventually," Venusmon warned as Judi took a step closer to the edge. Her friends shouted at her, warned her to step back, but Judi simply concentrated on the task at hand. Was this what it felt like for the millions of people that committed suicide? Were they nervous? Or were they so far gone in their despair that they'd do anything for an easy way out.

"But not today," Judi replied. "Besides, there's no guilt when you're dead." And with that, she jumped.

[Heroes]

When Judi came to again she was surprised to see that barely any time at all seemed to have passed during her time in Venusmon's dream world. She wondered vaguely if it was something that Olympians did as she recalled the handful of dreams that she had had of Ben O'Brien, but her thoughts were instantly squashed when the scene in front of her unfolded.

Venusmon stood tall and mighty against the group of valiant campers that fought her. Judi could pick out Kazemon and Lillymon among the crowd as well as Wizardmon and Kyubimon. Gallantmon was still frozen beside them, though whether he could see the scene as well, Judi did not know.

Her eyes darted amongst the Digimon, seeking out Terriermon or the others, but her eyes fell instead on her brother. All her friends were fighting what appeared to be a losing battle, their swords flailing without technique.

Correction: almost all her friends.

"Judi?"

For the first time, Judi realized that instead of lying on the hard ground, someone was holding her. She turned her head away from the battle to lock eyes with Seger. For a split second, everything was back to normal and they had never fought over something stupid and they were still friends. However, the sounds of battle quickly brought Judi back to her senses and she sat up so abruptly that Seger only had a moment to pull his head back to avoid Judi crashing into it.

"We have to help them!" Judi exclaimed, trying to get to her feet. She was still shaking slightly from the encounter with Venusmon's attack, but she was determined to help the others in anyway she could.

"I think the best way we can help them is by staying out of the way," Seger said, catching Judi's arm as she swayed on her feet. The world spun around her and she clutched her head, trying to make the dizzying sensation fade faster.

"If you think I'm just going to stand by and-" Judi began, but she was cut off by a blast of light and suddenly she and Seger and many of the Digimon that had been fighting Venusmon were flying backward through the air. The breath was knocked from her body and Judi struggled to get on her hands and knees, ready to inspect the damage. Beside her, Seger copied her, but it seemed futile. Many of the Digimon had been knocked out and Judi could just see Morgan stirring slightly a few meters away. Something else, however, caught her eye and the skater turned her head to stare at Venusmon.  
The Olympian looked more regal than ever, silhouetted by the setting sun, but she was not alone. Caught in her deadly grip was a tiny figure, and Judi only had to scan the grounds a moment to realize who it was.

"Jazzy!" she screamed, scrambling to her feet despite her lack of breath. Seger grabbed at her ankle, sending her tumbling straight back to earth, but Venusmon cackled.

"If you think you could cheat my game so easily, Judi Gretzinger, you were sorely mistaken," Venusmon crowed. "My siblings don't think it's fit to fight over the Tamers now that we're at war with each other, but I see otherwise. The key to restoring peace to the Digital World is to eliminate you, and I know that you will fall right into my trap when you come running to save this little girl." She giggled, tugging sharply on Jasmine's hand, before turning on the spot. There was a small _pop!_and Venusmon and Jasmine were gone in a flurry of feathers.

[Heroes]

"Judi, it's not your fault."

The atmosphere in the camp was subdued as Digimon tended to each other's injuries. Judi sat huddled in front of a camp fire outside a medical tent while she waited for Terriermon. He had been scratched badly by Venusmon and in the confusion, been burned by one of their own troops. Judi was glad he was safe, but if she hadn't been so stupid then she could have prevented the whole thing.

_Or not, _she thought bitterly as she realized that if she had let the attack hit Seger she was sure she would have launched an attack on Venusmon too.  
Someone sat down beside her and Judi turned to see Seger. He did not return her gaze but simply stared into the fire, watching the flames lick each other and leap higher into the air.

"Do you mean the entire battle or losing Jasmine?" Judi asked quietly.

"Both," Seger replied. "I know you're mad at me for stopping you from helping her but _…_" There was a long pause and Judi wasn't sure if Seger was going to finish his sentence, but the skier took a deep breath and said quietly, "I didn't want to lose you again."

It was that moment that made Judi realize that their entire fight was stupid. She couldn't be mad at Seger for the same reason she knew he couldn't be mad at her: they loved each other. And even though Venusmon would say it was romantic, Judi knew it wasn't, or at least, not the biggest part. She loved Seger like family and that was what was most important to her now. If they ever got out of the Digital World, well, maybe she'd consider looking beyond that.

"I'm not mad," Judi said finally, breaking the silence between them. "At least, not anymore. I just _…_ this needs to end, everything. We need to fix things here." She hoped that Seger would get the message, that she meant more than just the Digital World.

Seger cocked her an eyebrow, glancing up at her. "I was stupid."

"So was I."

"Are we even then?"

The question was like something from a dream, from a past life, and it made Judi laugh. "Yeah, we're even," she said. Seger smiled, tossing his jacket over her shoulders and then pulling her into an awkward side hug as she tried to pull his sweater on. It was far too big but it reminded her of home and a time before the insanity of the Digital World.

"We have to leave tomorrow, don't we?" Seger whispered suddenly, close in Judi's ear. It made the skater shiver a bit, but she nodded.

"We can train along the way. I just _…_Venusmon was right. I'm playing right into her trap, but I have a feeling that this is the way to go." Seger nodded slowly, his eyes returning to the flames. A moment later, he left Judi in front of the fire, kissing her temple softly before promising her he'd see her in the morning.

[Heroes]

With Terriermon tucked snugly into their bed, Judi found herself standing in a patch of moonlight, the cool breeze numbing her toes. In her hand she held the Manteiopter, sparkling slightly in the light.

The small table beside the bed would do, though Judi prayed the top wouldn't make much noise. She stood it on its point and with a shaky voice whispered, "How do I find the Flame?"

The wind whistled through the flap in the tent and sent the fabric fluttering, but Judi's attention was focused solely on the Manteiopter, which had begun to spin in place. It took only a minute more for the skater to hear the high, melodic voice she had heard on one previous occasion.

"_Six will travel north along the golden road,_

_To seek out the one who designed for the old_

_To find what was stolen and end the war_

_For each most open and close a door_

_Enter the maze at your own risk_

_Separation and fear is not a good mix."_


	16. XV The Breakthrough

**Here's the next chapter. A little later than I had anticipated but I took a couple days to write a one shot. Enjoy :)**

* * *

The sound of a busy campsite awoke Judi the next morning. Carefully, the Tamer dressed in the clothes she had been given -a tunic and tights and soft leather shoes, things Judi often associated with medieval times- and scooped up a still snoozing Terriermon and exited the tent. Above them, the sun shone with a secret smile, as if it knew Judi's plan for the day.

"Morning," Liam said when Judi entered the dining tent. He and Jarred were the only two in there and it made things a little easier, like the others had never come and they had never lost Jasmine; like what they were about to do wasn't so risky.

"Hey," Judi replied, depositing her Digimon next to the table and picking up a buttered piece of toast. "Where are the others?"

"They're coming," Jarred replied. "I guess they wanted to sleep in or something. Lazy, lot, aren't they?" His half-hearted attempt at humour made Judi feel terrible, so she shoved the remainder of her toast into her mouth so that she wouldn't have to reply. She nudged Terriermon awake with her toe and the rabbit-like Digimon looked up at her.

"Breakfast time already?" he asked with a yawn and stretching his tiny arms above his head. He stood, surveying the table before diving into a bowl of fruit and yogurt.

"Hey, Terriermon, leave some for the rest of us, yeah?" Salamon asked as she followed Morgan into the tent, followed by Seger and PawnChessmon. A moment later, Sarah and Biyomon appeared. It was the first time all six of them and their Digimon had assembled after the attack on the practice field.

Everyone was looking tired and like they were forcing smiles, but what else could they do? Yesterday had demonstrated the dangers of being in this world and just what they had to face in order to restore peace to it. It was certainly a daunting task.

"You guys should eat up," she said, swallowing a mouthful of toast. "I want to run something by you when you're done." The others glanced at her skeptically, but Judi avoided their gazes by loading up her own plate with fruits and more toast. She knew she was just putting off her announcement, but she was starting to get nervous. The Manteiopter had clearly stated that six would go along a golden road, and if even one of them disagreed to the idea, all hope would be lost.

Half an hour later, the plates were empty and the noise outside the tent told Judi that she didn't have to worry about them being overheard.

"Alright, Judi," Morgan said, leaning back on his hands. "What is it?"

Judi took a deep breath in and surveyed her friends. What would they say when she told them. "I think, today, when we're heading off as a big group … I think … I think we should go after Venusmon."

The reaction the skater had been expecting had been shock or disapproval, but instead she got a few groans and a couple head nods.

"You wanted to tell us that?" Jarred asked.

"I thought it was a bit of a given that we were going anyway," Liam said with a shrug.

Judi scowled. So much for her big announcement. "Well, if you guys already knew what I was going to say, why didn't you say so?"

"We liked to watch you squirm," Seger said with a smirk, which earned him a grape in the face. He smiled cheekily at Judi, who rolled her eyes, and said, "We know the risks, right? Venusmon is definitely expecting us to come after Jasmine so we'll have to be on our guard. The only plus is that all her siblings will be fighting each other so we don't have to worry about them."

"Right, but we still stick out like a sore thumb," Sarah pointed out. "Last time I checked, we were the only humans gallivanting around the Digital World."

"We'll make it work," Judi assured her, getting to her feet. Terriermon leaped off the table and landed deftly on her shoulder, mimicking her crossed arms. "We've got to."

[Heroes]

The bag Judi had been giving to pack up whatever belongings she wanted to bring was stuffed full of the equipment she thought they would need on their side journey to save Jasmine. Her laptop was cushioned by several changes of clothes and acted as a table for several bottles of water and containers of food. The skater had no idea if they would pass through any towns on their way to Mount Olympus, but they couldn't take any chances. There was no telling what was edible in this world and what wasn't.

Judi had also packed a small first aid kit. When Lilymon had questioned her about it, Judi had simply said it was for if they got separated from the others or if there was an emergency or whatever. Lilymon had accepted the answer, but Judi feared that the officer was on to her. They'd have to make sure that their escape went totally unnoticed.

Most of the camp left at around mid-day. Many of the tents had been packed up and were being carted with them, save for a few that had been left up to house the few Digimon that had chosen to stay behind and defend their small secret territory. Judi waved good-bye to a group of Armadillomon and then hurried to catch up with the others as they made their way through the forest.

"So," Seger said as Judi caught up to him, "do you have any idea where to go to get to Mount Olympus?"

Judi shrugged. Despite the Manteiopter clearly stating that they had to travel along a golden road, Judi could not help but remember what she had seen when she had visited Ben at Mount Olympus in one of her dreams: the fact that the horizon blinked and changed every second was a reminder that the home of the Olympians moved continually. It definitely posed as a problem.

"I have a feeling," she said finally, glancing up at her friend. Seger searched her face for more answers, but Judi merely smiled back and glanced around. They were somewhere near the middle of their progression, which wasn't really ideal if they wanted to sneak away during the day. It meant that they'd have to try to escape in the middle of the night, which was just as dangerous. Judi had no doubts that Gallantmon would set up a night guard and if they mistook the fleeing Tamers and their Digimon for attacking enemies, they could be seriously hurt or killed.

The day stretched on before them as the sun traveled across the sky. At around what Judi figured to be seven o'clock in the evening, the progression stopped.

"This is where we set up camp tonight." Gallantmon's voice carried over their heads as clearly as if he were standing right next to them. "Be on your guard; there's no telling whether or not we'll be attacked."

All around the Tames, Digimon set off to set up their tents and prepare their dinners. The commotion seemed to spark something in Judi, and one glance at the others told her that they were all thinking the same thing: this would be a prime opportunity to escape.

"We're going to get some water," Morgan said to the nearest Digimon. "There's a river back a little ways. We'll be careful," he added when he saw the Digimon's skeptical glance. "We have our Digimon with us." As if on cue, six Digimon popped up at Morgan's side and grinned mischievously at the other Digimon.

"Alright," the Swanmon said with a sigh. "But be back soon, alright?"

"Don't even worry about it," Terriermon piped up, but Judi could sense his uneasiness at the lie. She scooped him up in her arms and the group set off through the sea of tents towards the river that Morgan had mentioned. It was a lot farther away than Judi had anticipated and by the time they reached its banks the sun was beginning to set.

"We've got to hurry," Jarred said. "Once the others have realized we've disappeared, they'll send all their flying Digimon out to look for us. We have to find a place to take shelter, preferably before night fall." The others nodded in agreement, but there was still one problem: they had no way to cross the river. It was too wide to jump across and the current looked far stronger than Judi was willing to test.

"I know the way across the river," a voice lilted from behind the group.

The Tamers spun around, their eyes falling on a figure that seemed to have materialized behind them. Judi literally had no idea where he had come from, for there was nothing for him to have hid behind. He had simply just appeared.

Upon closer inspection, Judi was able to determine that the figure was definitely a Digimon. His curly sand coloured hair was plastered to his face underneath a golden cap with small wings sprouting out the side. In fact, wings seemed to be a bit of a reoccurring theme. Besides the large feathery ones sprouting from his shoulder blades, the Digimon also had a small set attacked to his brown leather sandals. A white toga hugged his slim frame and in his hand he held a winged, golden sceptre with two very real snakes entwining themselves around the rod and hissing quietly.

"Shouldn't you be in a war right now?" Morgan asked, glaring at the figure curiously.

The Digimon shrugged. "Shouldn't you be preventing it?"

"Who are you and what do you want?" Patamon crowed from the top of Jarred's head.

There was a long, pregnant pause as the Digimon surveyed them from behind a feathered mask not unlike Venusmon's. "I am Mercurymon and-" he paused for a moment, a shiver running through his lithe body before saying, "-I am here to kill you."

Mercurymon lunged forward, slashing his sceptre downwards and shouting, "Road Buster!" As the head of the rod made contact with the ground it set off an earthquake, sending Tamers and Digimon alike to their knees.

"We have to get them to Digivolve!" Judi heard Seger shout over the rumbling Earth as Terriermon sent a green blast of energy-charged air towards their enemy. Mercurymon deflected it easily with a flick of his sceptre and blocked PawnChessmon's lance with one of the golden wrist braces around his forearm.

"We can't!" Jarred exclaimed. "We don't have Jasmine. She had this red card and-"

"You just have to believe it," Morgan said, who already had his Digivice out. He shut his eyes tightly and a moment later, a blast of light green emitted from his electronic device and engulfed Salamon.

"Salamon Digivolve to … Gatomon!" The light faded as a cat-like Digimon pounced from its midst, shouting, "Lightning Claw!" It caught Mercurymon off guard and he hissed as Gatomon's large claws shredded at his shoulder.

Judi saw Seger imitate her brother and sure enough, both his Digivice and PawnChessmon were wrapped in a warm red glow. "PawnChessmon Digivolve to … KnightChessmon!" A towering, four-legged figure rose from the light, charging towards Mercurymon with a lance marge larger than PawnChessmon's had been. The Olympian, however, was better prepared and blasted the knight backwards with a blast of white light.

"Biyomon Digivolve to … Halsemon!"

Judi's head whipped around to see a dark red griffin soar by, its shining silver helmet glittering in the sun. "Tempest Wing!" It shouted, twisting itself into a tornado that blasted its way towards Mercurymon.

"Judi!" Seger shouted. Paralyzed with fear, Judi felt herself wrenching her neck around to meet his gaze. "Just believe it can happen without Jazzy! I know you can do it."

Beside her, Judi sensed Liam and Jarred pulling out their own Digivices. She copied their movements and felt the rubberized grip of the ice-blue electronic she had found in the rain so many days ago. Her clammy palms made the device slippery, but she gripped it tighter and shut her eyes, concentrating on Terriermon and her Digivice.

_I need this to work, _she thought. _This is our ticket to Olympus. We can do this. We can _do _this. _

Judi knew it was happening without having to open her eyes. The ice-blue light that exploded from her Digivice burned at her eyelids and she popped them open in time to see Terriermon, Patamon and Veemon get engulfed in blasts of coloured light.

"Terriermon Digivolve to … Gargomon!"

"Patamon Digivolve to … Angemon!"

"Veemon Digivolve to … ExVeemon!"

The familiar figures from the concrete city materialized in front of the Tamers. Mercurymon surveyed them warily, his eyes falling on Angemon's feathery wings, as if sizing them up.

"That's more like it," he murmured. "Finally, a challenge!" He swung his sceptre towards the ground, but this time, the Digimon were ready. With a cry, Gatomon lunged forward, swiping at the wand and sent it flying through the air. Mercurymon let lose a scream of rage and took to the air, but he was too late. Angemon had swooped down and plucked it neatly out of the sky.

"No!" Mercurymon screeched. He snapped his fingers quickly and the Tamers gasped as the Olympian multiplied himself, each new Mercurymon flickering into existence beside the original.

"What are you doing?" Judi suddenly found herself yelling. "You and Vensumon, you both said that the Olympians are at war, yet, here you are. What do you really want from us?"

A pained expression flickered down the line of Mercurymons. "You can't help us anymore," they said, "there's … nothing you can do." The way that the Olympian spoke, confused Judi slightly. It was almost as if he were fighting with himself and the skater wondered briefly if it was the Tamer inside trying to get out … to reach them.

"We can help you," Judi said, addressing the real Mercurymon as the Digimon commenced battle with the duplicates. "We can set you free and then we can find the Flame and everything can go back to normal."

"What are you doing?" Morgan hissed at her as his eyes tracked Gatomon's moves.

"Experimenting," Judi admitted. "You're not a real Digimon," she said more loudly, turning her attention back to Mercurymon. "You're just a hybrid, a Digimon combined with a human and I know that we can help both of you. It's the least I can do, at least. I owe you … Ben."

Judi wasn't sure what made her mention Ben's name, but it suddenly made a lot of sense. The dreams and the meeting in the forest had lead up to this moment. Mercurymon wasn't here to take them out, like Venusmon had, he was here to save himself.

"Ben, you know we can help," Judi said, more strongly this time. "That's why you're here, isn't it?"

"Don't listen to her," Mercurymon said sharply. The comment confused the Tamers for a moment before it dawned on Judi that the Digimon side of the Olympian was addressing the human side. "She can't help you."

"Judi, what are you doing?" Seger asked as KnightChessmon took down one of the duplicates.

"I'm going to set them free," she said. "I'm going to separate them."  
Seger looked at her quizzically, but Judi was already turning her attention back to Mercurymon. "Ben," she said, "I know you're in there and I know you're fighting for a way out. I remember that day in the forest. You're trying to help us, aren't you?"

The Olympian growled, clearly torn between answering Judi's question or blowing her into pieces. Judi knew that she was taking a huge risk. If she couldn't get through to Ben they would all be in trouble.

_But then again, _she thought, _if we're away for too long then the others will come and get us. _The thought was comforting for a moment, but the more Judi dwelled on it, the more she realized that if they were rescued by the camp, they wouldn't have another chance to sneak away again. She'd have to try and wrap this up quickly.

"Ben," she pleaded again. "Ben. You have to fight this. This force or whatever. You have to know that this world deserves better than whatever your fellow Olympians are giving it. I know that you're different. I know that you can make a change if you just join us."

Around her, Judi saw the duplicate Mercurymon disappear in swirls of dust as each other Digimon defeated them. It was definitely a sign that the two sides of the Olympian were weakening.

"Let go, Ben," Judi said softly.

The expression on the Olympian's young, boyish, face softened slightly and a voice that Judi recognized instantly as her classmate's said, "Do it." Judi nodded swiftly, shouting, "Gargomon!" Her Digimon whirled on the spot and as Mercurymon trembled in front of them, he fired an attack. There was a bright white flash and the angel-like Digimon was gone. In its place were two figures. One was easily recognizable as Ben O'Brien, the boy Judi had met several times in the Digital World. The other was clearly his Digimon, a small red and blue, rabbit-like creature.

"Ben!" Seger exclaimed, clearly shocked to see his classmate. "You were … you were really Mercurymon?"

Ben, who looked extremely tired, but very pleased, nodded his head. "Yeah," he said. "It's tough stuff trying to fight the other side." He glanced at his Digimon, who was shaking its head carefully, as if clearing water from its ears.

"Eh?" it asked, looking up at Ben. "What happened, Benny-boy?"

The expression on Ben's face softened. "You don't remember anything, do you, Elecmon?" he asked.

The Digimon, Elecmon, shook his head. "I just remember being taken to that palace place on the mountain and after that," he clicked his tongue and shook his head again, "nothing. I don't remember nothing."

Ben ran a hand through his sand-coloured hair and sighed. "That's what I thought. I think I owe you guys an explanation."

"Maybe so," Morgan said, scoping Gatomon up into his arms, "but can we do so on the other side of the river? I think the camp's got wind that we're maybe not coming back."

Judi whirled around and sure enough, a few figures could be seen moving towards them.

"Right," Ben said, glancing at the shadows. "Right. Okay. One second." He looked at the river and snapped his fingers. Immediately, a bridge appeared over the water.

"How'd you do that?" Sarah asked, amazed as Halsemon flew over to the other side of the river with Angemon.

"My Olympian was meant to represent Mercury or Hermes, the God of Travelers," Ben explained as he hurried over the bridge with the others fast on his heels. On the other side he snapped his fingers again and the bridge collapsed, the wooden pieces moving swiftly down the river. The sun had finally set and night had settled around them. It would be ideal for them to take off now, under the cover of darkness. "But like you said, we should get out of here. I've got a lot to tell you guys, but clearly now isn't the right time. There's a lot that you guys need to know about The Olympians."

* * *

**So when I was about 2500 words into this chapter I realized that there was already a canon character designed for Mercury/Hermes. I really did not feel like changing everything I'd already written, so the character, Mercurymon is entirely fictional. **


	17. XVI Gonna Give All My Secrets Away

**I apologize for it being so long. This is now my main focus on this website. The updates, however, will probably continue to be a little spontaneous as I've taken on a Big Bang project and I still have school. Thanks for sticking with me though!**

**Disclaimer: Chapter title taken from One Republic's song Secrets.**

* * *

It seemed to Seger that all he and his friends had been doing over the past few days was running. Running or fighting. The blonde sighed as he followed his companions across empty fields and hard packed earth. There wasn't a tree to be seen for miles, and that's what worried Seger the most.

When he wasn't worrying about where they were going to take shelter for the night, Seger was busy worrying about their newest comrade, Ben O'Brien.

The boy had come to them after being released from the spell that seemed to bind the humans and their Digimon partners together to form the feared Olympus Twelve. Despite the fact that Ben appeared to be freed from whatever had previously bound him, Seger couldn't shake the idea that he might be a spy. Even though he hadn't been in the Digital World for very long, Seger was finding that you couldn't trust anyone quite the way you wanted to.

Still, Ben appeared to be leading them in a direction away from their pursuers. In fact, it wasn't long before the hard earth of the farmlands was turning into soft, lush grass again and there were trees in the distance.

"He's done something," Seger's partner, KnightChessmon, commented. "We were still miles and miles off of any vegetation. That boy, Ben, he's done something quite remarkable."

"Of course he has," Seger mumbled as they followed Ben into the trees. "And the sun just shines out of his back end, doesn't it?"

"Whats that, Master Seger?"

"Nothing. And don't call me Master. Makes me feel old or something."

They continued in silence for a little while longer, the only sounds being their feet slapping against fallen leaves and the snapping of brittle twigs. Seger was just starting to wonder if Ben was leading them astray when they broke out of the trees.

A tall cliff face rose before them with a waterfall toppling over the edge into a shallow pool at the base. On either side was wide open space and behind them, of course, the trees. It would appear that Ben had led them into a valley of sorts.

"There's a cave here," Jarred commented, nodding towards what Seger had originally thought had been just part of the cliff. It was well camouflaged, which meant that-

"No one will be able to see us unless they know the cave is here," Morgan pointed out sensibly. "And it looks like it's big enough for all of us."

Seger glanced at his Digimon and then at the other Champion level creatures among them. Gargomon, Halsemon, Angemon, and ExVeemon were all much, much larger than their Rookie forms had been. The cave would have to be massive to hold them all.

"Well, what are we waiting for, then?" Seger asked. He pushed past his companions and headed into the cave. As could be expected, it was dark and damp and his footsteps echoed loudly, but after all the running he had done that day, Seger could really care less. All he wanted to do now was lie down and sleep.

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

"No time for sleeping now, Seger," Ben said as the others filed into the cave and made themselves comfortable. Morgan and Jarred had managed to gather up a few dry twigs and after a small round of bullets courtesy of Gargomon, the group had a small fire blazing inside the cave. It made shadows dance across everyone's faces and the cave walls seemed to move and shift in the light.

"So, are you going to explain to us what's going on?" Seger asked, leaning back against KnightChessmon. His eyes flickered to Ben and then to the fire, trying to decide which deserved his attention more.

Across the cave, Ben sighed. He ran a hand quickly through his sandy blonde hair before saying, "I guess I should start at the beginning, when I first was approached to be part of the Olympians.

"It happened sometime last year, near the end of school. I was kicking around in the back field with some mates when this guy came up to us. He was crazy. Like, not in the head, but I mean, he was the coolest looking guy ever. Spiked hair, designer clothes that didn't make him look like an idiot. He was just … he was really awesome looking. He said he was a soccer scout and said that he'd seen some of us playing out back, thought we were pretty good and wanted to talk to us.

"And when we were all leaving after, he stopped me for just a minute and gave me my Digivice. At the time he told me it was a special pager I could use to keep in touch with him. He said I was the only one with talent out of my friends but didn't want to upset them. I was so ecstatic that I didn't care."

Ben paused, sucking in a breath. The cave was quiet except for the occasional dripping sound from far back in the darkness where the light from the flame couldn't reach. _How __clichéd__, _Seger thought.

"I didn't think too much of the pager until after dinner that night. It started beeping insistently and I thought it was the guy, telling me he had good news or something. Instead, I ended up with an egg that I had to hide in my closet for a week before it hatched." Ben glanced at his Digimon and said, "It was another week before my Digimon settled as Elecmon, but by that time, the guy had already come back to visit me. Asked if the egg had hatched and everything. That should've been my first clue that something was wrong, that he knew about Elecmon, but I was too busy freaking out and if he had answers, I wanted them.

"The first time the guy showed up, he told me that I would find the most answers in the Digital Word. When he told me about this place, I thought he was crazy so I refused to go. He kept coming back, though, until I finally caved and let him take me here. I can't even remember how it happened, now that I think about it, but one minute we're standing in my bedroom and the next thing we're at Mount Olympus. And the guy was gone too. I haven't seen him since."

A silence settled in the cave again as Ben's words sank in. Seger shivered slightly. It was so easy for Ben to be drawn into this world. Who else had fallen victim to the mysterious man's ways?

"I was the last one to join the Olympians," Ben said finally. "Everyone else was already there and Jupitermon told me that we would rule this world fairly and justly. And we did, for a short time. But power corrupted us and we finally turned against each other when the Flame was stolen. Now we're at war with each other, threatening to destroy each other with every battle we fight."

"Hearing it from you, Ben, it sounds a bit like a plan," Morgan says slowly. "I mean, if you guys were already arguing amongst each other, all you needed was a trigger to get you guys to take your fight to a new scale. Whoever stole the Flame probably knew this too. I don't think they stole it just for fun or whatever. I think they _want _you to destroy each other."

"Seems plausible," Seger added. "I mean, what better way to cause mass destruction than from doing so from within?"

Ben hummed, deep in thought. "The question is, who stole it? We've mostly come to the conclusion that one of you guys took it, but it's mostly so we have an excuse to fight."

"Right, so tell us something we don't know," Judi called from the other side of the room. Seger recognized the look on her face: it was a cross between impatience and nervousness. He quirked her a smile which she returned and Seger relaxed back against KnightChessmon.

"Hey, now," Ben said, his voice teasing. Despite the serious conversation, the tension in the cave was slowly trickling out. "I'm just tyring to give you guys a bit of a back story. The info you've really been craving is just around the corner."

"Stop delaying then," Gargomon grumbled. "I need a nap."

Ben laughed. "Well, as Judi knows, Olympus is constantly on the move. It never stays in one place for very long, which is how we keep our secrets, well, a secret."

"Wait, what?" Seger asked. Judging by the incredulous looks on Morgan, Jarred, Sarah, and Liam's faces, they were just as shocked as he was. "And how does Judi know this but we don't?"

Seger could have sworn that he saw an unspoken conversation pass between Judi and Ben, but before he could say anything, Ben said, "I told Judi about Olympus moving, which seems to greatly surprise you. Did you think it would be easy to find it?"

"Well, um, yeah," Liam replied. "I mean, I didn't know it moved, for God's sake. We'll never find it."

"Ah, but see, that's where you're wrong," Ben said, and Seger caught a glimpse of his mischievous grin. It was something that reminded him of home and of simpler times when he and his friends weren't expected to save another world from a terrible fate. "There is a way to make Olympus more, er, stationary. In fact, you've already started the process."

Silence descended upon the cave again as each Tamer pondered Ben's words.

"Defeating Olymians," Sarah said finally, and Ben grinned. "By defeating OIympians and returning them to their human and Digimon forms, we reduce Olympus's power. The more Olympians we take down, the more stable and stationary it becomes."

"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!" Ben crowed.

"So, by rescuing you, Olympus lost some of its power?" Seger asked.

"Right," Ben confirmed. "By now, my siblings will know that something's gone wrong and send someone out. In fact, I'm sure someone will find us … today. Now would probably be a good time to take that nap you wanted earlier, Seger."

_Great, _Seger thought as he grumbled and rolled onto his side. Around him, his friends were settling into their Digimon partners and trying to get some sleep. _They were right when they said being a hero wasn't easy._

[Heroes]

The first thing Seger noticed upon waking up was that he was no longer leaning against KnightChessmon. At some point during the night his partner appeared to have de-digivolved back to PawnChessmon and Seger found himself leaning heavily against the Rookie Digimon's shield.

The second thing that Seger noticed was that someone was talking outside their cave. Glancing around the cave, the skier was able to see that everyone else was still sleeping, which meant …

"PC, wake up," Seger whispered, shaking the shoulder of his companion. There was no point in waking up everyone if the threat outside wasn't major, but Seger wasn't going to chance leaving the cave alone. He shook his Digimon again, harder this time, and with a grumble, the Rookie woke.

"What is it, Sir Seger?" PawnChessmon mumbled, his armor creaking slightly as he sat up. Seger glanced around the cave again before whispering, "Someone's outside. I don't know if it's anything to worry about, but I think we should check it out."

"Right ho," the white knight replied. "I knew we should have had a night watch. I would have volunteered but you were leaning heavily upon me and I found myself trapped."

"Sure, sure," Seger said with a slight smile. He led the way from the cave, careful to not wake up Jarred who was sleeping with Patamon near the entry to the cave or jar Sarah who was curled up with Biyomon nearby.

The atmosphere outside the cave was distinctly different from that inside it. A warm wind blew through Seger's ruffled hair and a soft mist floated from the nearby waterfall. It was almost like something out of a television show in a tropical rain forest.

And then somewhere to his right, Seger heard a twig snap.

Both he and PawnChessmon whirled to face the sound, the Digimon drawing his lance and taking a defensive stance in front of his Tamer. There was a tense moment when the trees were quiet again before something came crashing through the underbrush.

Seger stifled back a shout as PawnChessmon threw his lance at what appeared to be a blue and white bird with a large bush stuck to its rear end. On its head was a small golden crown. It squawked indignantly as the weapon embedded itself in the soft, loamy soil next to it.

"That thing just about gave me a heart attack," Seger muttered as PawnChessmon trotted off to retrieve his weapon. The Rookie Digimon was just bending over when a blast of bright red light shot out from between the trees and incinerated the bird-bush. Seger shouted in surprise, stumbling backwards as PawnChessmon yanked his lance from the ground and retreated quickly, readying his shield. Seger could hear the possible stirrings of his friends in the cave, but he didn't have too much time to consider what he was hearing as a figure emerged from the trees.

He was tall (well, Seger figured it was a he), decorated in gleaming gold armor. His eyes were hidden under a dull, rusty looking helmet and his fingers were adorned with glittering rings. There was a brief moment when Seger wondered if this was Marsmon, but from the staggering walk and lack of weapons, the skier quickly deduced that it couldn't be.

"Ah, I thought I would find you here," the Olympian said before hiccuping. Seger narrowed his eyes and tilted his head slightly in confusion. "This was always one of Mercurymon's favourite hiding places."

_Did he set us up? _Seger thought, his mind flashing to Ben who hadn't made an appearance outside the cave yet.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Seger decided with finally. "I'm just a lowly traveler."

The Olympian laughed. "Lowly traveler my butt," he said. "I know you're one of those Tamers that has the Flame. And when I recover it, I will be praised beyond my wildest dreams. I will finally -hic- stop being the laughing stock of the family!"

Seger had to admit, he could definitely see how this guy became the lowest member on the Olympian chain, but he wasn't about to mention that. From his experience, he knew that an angry Olympian was not an easy person to defeat.

"Yeah, well, okay, you got me," Seger said, raising his hands slowly. He was trying to buy himself some time, figure out what the best way to take down this guy was. It would help if he could identify his Roman counterpart, but Seger wasn't quite sure how to do that. And now that he had let the Digimon know he was a Tamer, he knew it would be smart to not reveal his sleeping companions. If his friends had woken up from his shout earlier, they had rolled back into a deep sleep again because no help appeared to be coming. "But you've only got one thing right," Seger continued, edging away from the cave slightly. PawnChessmon seemed to sense what Seger's plan was and followed his Tamer away from their friends. "I don't have the Flame," the skier said.  
"Sure, and I'm Venusmon," the stranger replied.

"No, you're not," Seger deadpanned. If he was right …

"Well, duh!" the Digimon said, taking the bait just as Seger had hoped. "Are you stupid? It's called sarcasm, buddy."

"Sorry, it's early," Seger commented dryly. He was still examining the mega-level Digimon closely. Maybe there was a weak spot in the armor?

"Never you mind." The enemy circled around so that his back was to the cave. It was a good move for Seger because it gave him the element of surprise in case his friends woke up. Which he wasn't planning on, and which he wasn't hoping for. "I am Bacchusmon, god of the grape harvest!"

Seger couldn't help it. He laughed. "Seriously?" he asked. "You're the god of the grape harvest?"

Bacchusmon scowled indignantly. And then hiccuped. "And don't you forget it, boy," he ordered gruffly. "I may be underrated, but you won't be thinking that once I'm through with you. Now, just give me the Flame and I might kill you quickly."

"That's such an overused line," Seger said. He wasn't really sure what prompted the words from his mouth, but he regretted them as son as he said them.

"Oh, well, I guess it's a slow and painful death for you then," Bacchusmon growled. "How does drowning in wine sound to you?" With a roar, he let a second blast of red energy from his hands. Seger and PawnChessmon dove in opposite directions and the blast rocketed over their heads and smashed a tree to splinters behind them.

"Pawn Buckler!" PawnChessmon cried, releasing his shield. He rolled to his feet and dodged another attack from the Olympian who seemed completely unaffected by the attempted attack on him. For an underrated god, Seger could already tell he was going to be a challenge to take down.

"What's going on out here?"

To Seger's horror, he spotted Sarah emerging from the cave behind Bacchusmon. The Olympian whirled on the spot and PawnChessmon took the opportunity to let loose another Pawn Buckler attack. Still, it was not enough to distract the Olympian from Sarah. The teenager let out a scream and dove out of the way as Bacchusmon shouted, "Drunken Twister!" and released another geyser of wine. It disappeared into the cave and Seger could only hope that none of his friends were hurt.

"Another Tamer?" Bacchusmon asked as Sarah scurried over to Seger's side. The only thing between them and the Olympian now was PawnChessmon, and Seger had a feeling that his partner was in no shape to Digivolve. It was all up to the others now and Seger hoped they'd be able to pull of a surprise attack better than Sarah had.

"Hey, I never said I was alone," Seger said.

"You also said you didn't have the Flame," Bacchusmon pointed out. "But that doesn't mean that she doesn't have it!" He readied himself for another attack and Seger felt Sarah squeeze his arm. They both knew that one hit from Bacchusmon's Drunken Twister attack and PawnChessmon would be reduced to data.

"Hey, grape head!"

Bacchusmon whirled around and Seger saw Judi emerging from the cave, Terriermon perched on her shoulder. The surprise was evident in the way that the Olympian held himself, but he watched Judi with a careful eye.

"You didn't say anything about the rest of us," Judi continued. She smiled coyly and Terriermon hopped off her shoulder. "Bunny Blast!" he shouted, releasing his attack. It snapped the Olympian out of his stupor but before he could react, Salomon, Biyomon, Patamon, Elecmon ,and Veemon were racing out of the cave to join the attack.

It looked like the tables had finally turned.


End file.
